Good and Bad
by ndzfinest
Summary: "Just because I'm not a hero and not good, doesn't mean I want people to get hurt." Jessica Drew does not think she's a good guy. Tony Stark isn't sure she is, either. But if Peter believes she is... maybe he can believe it, too. Eventual Spiderwoman x Tony S with other Avengers thrown in as well.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Hi guys! This is my first fanfic in a LONG time, and my absolute first time writing anything superhero, so forgive me if I suck. Wanted to start off by saying, I know there will be things that don't add up for the real Jessica Drew, aka Spiderwoman. That's because I honestly and truly have never read the comics. I know, why are you writing her then?! Because I love her backstory and have been roleplaying as her but still haven't had enough to satisfy my thirst for Avengers. SO, there's that disclaimer. Also, this will eventually be a Tony Stark x Jess story because I freaking love Tony. Setting is pre-Infinity War, post Civil War. I'm also not sure if I'm following the events for Infinity War and End Game but we shall see.

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own anything Marvel or the characters in the story. The only thing I claim is the crazy in my head for putting these two together.

It wasn't that she wanted to be a hero or help people, honest. Sometimes, Jess just got restless. Sitting in the crappy, sheikh room she called her apartment, the dark haired woman bit her lip as her leg bounced up and down. She could hear the convenience store next door getting robbed, could hear the sobs of Mei, the cashier who was normally there, as the man gave her another chance to open the register. Biting her lip, Jess tried one more time to push her gifted hearing away and mind her business but before she could tell herself aloud to leave it alone, she was already swinging out the window by her web. Landing on the fire escape, Jess jumped to the other building that Mei was in, using her sticky fingers to crawl down the wall and hop off, sighing before she opened the store door. Why did she put herself in these situations?

Immediately, the man turned the gun on her as she giggled and stumbled about, acting like she was drunk to hopefully avoid the man shooting. Gunshot wounds were messy and if she could get through the day without bleeding, it would be nice. "Ooops... I thought I was at the bar." she giggled, stumbling into the man as he shouted, close enough that she could smell the sweat rolling down his fat neck. Amateur. The first rule to holding a gun at someone; never underestimate the other person.

With quick reflexes, Jess reached forward and hit the man's forearm, catching the gun as it fell from his hands. Cocking the gun, the lithe woman aimed it at the criminal, tilting her head. "Hasn't anyone ever told you to pick on someone your own size?" she mocked in a voice sweet as honey before lifting her leg and roundhouse kicking the easily 300 pound man square in the chest. Making sure the gun's safety was on before sticking it in the waistband of her pants, Jess looked down at the man.

_"__You bi-"_ the man started to insult her but was cut short by the web like substance covering his mouth that she had shot at him.

"And to not talk with your mouth full, naughty boy." Jess purred, grabbing him by the front of the shirt and punching him in the face. Not as hard as she wanted to, but hard enough to knock him out. Looking up at Mei, she cleared her throat and dusted her hands off. "Make sure you call 911, Mei." The woman looked on in shock but nodded her head quickly, tears in her eyes as she thanked Jess and dialed the police.

Her good deed was done.

Looking away awkwardly as people clapped, Jess jogged out of the store before using her web and swinging past the building, growling to herself as she finally landed on a roof a few blocks away. Hands touching the ground before straightening up, Jess' lip was lifted in disgust. Why hadn't she just listened to her head and left well enough alone? Now, Mei knew. As well as the other locals who had been there. She didn't even know where her mask was, and she hadn't left enough time to look for it. It had been so long since she had even thought about using her spider suit. Running a hand through her hair, Jess sighed and flopped herself down on the edge of the building. Leaning back so her arms were behind her propping her up, Jess looked out at the city and rolled her eyes as she heard something behind her.

"I already told you no." The short woman grumbled, knowing that wouldn't make him leave... but hoping maybe, just maybe, it would.

"But, Miss..." Ugh... there her hopes went, down the drain. "I just want some tips... I'm part of the Avengers now and I want to make sure I impress Mr. Stark."

"Miss makes me sound old or something, kid. And I've told you, I'm not the good guy. If your Star guy-"

"Stark."

"Whatever. If your Stark knew you were talking to me, he probably wouldn't be very happy. Trust me." Jess looked down towards the ground and used her web slinger, pulling up on the cord to bring up the bag of chips she had snatched from the man below. Opening the bag, the woman popped a Dorito in her mouth as her legs dangled over the side of the building. Tensing up as she felt the teenager next to her, Jess glanced over at him as he sat next to her. She wasn't used to people being close to her, especially children. The thought made her shudder. Smashing the bag of Doritos to her chest, she glared at him before looking away from him. She let the silence build for a moment before growling and holding the bag out to him without looking at him.

Peter Parker smiled as he reached in and took a chip, tilting his head like dogs sometimes did as he stared at the woman. She was interesting and dead set on him thinking she was bad. Who wouldn't want to be a super hero? It didn't make sense to him, all he wanted to do was help other people. When he had first seen the other Spider person in a red and yellow suit, he had almost dropped his backpack. Swinging past him to tackle a mugger to the cement, she (that had been another surprise, it was a Spider _girl_!) smashing the man's into the ground before taking the purse and tossing it to the lady. He had followed her but couldn't keep up and eventually lost her.

"If you aren't good, why did you stop that robbery?" His question made her clench the bag of Doritos in her hand, pulverizing the poor chips surely.

"There is more than good and bad, just like there's more than black and white. Just because I'm not a hero and not good, doesn't mean I want people to get hurt." Jess admitted reluctantly, her expression blank as she handed him the bag of chips. Taking the gun out of her back pocket, she wiggled it around in the air to get his attention before bending it so it was useless and throwing it over her head. "Plus, half the people in this damn city shouldn't even be allowed to walk, let alone carry a gun. One less idiot armed in the world."

Standing up, Jess stretched before walking across the roof, rolling her eyes as she heard him follow behind. "I just have questions, is all. I mean, I didn't know there were others like me. Are there more?"

She shrugged. "I don't know, do you know everybody in the world? Me either... you're the first I've met, if that helps." Why she was even taking time to speak to him, she wasn't sure. Maybe because she was _so damn bored_ that anything was better than going home to stare at the wall.

Peter nodded, following after her as she swung across the building to the next, hands going back to her pockets as they walked. "How did you get your powers? I was bit by a spider. Well, obviously not a regular spider. A radioactive one. It was wild, I was going on a school trip and-" Jess tuned the boy out for a minute as she looked around the roof tops, feeling someone watching them but not seeing anyone. Her lip twitched as she went back to listening to him. "So were you bit? What can you do? Do you live in Manhattan? Are you the only superhero you know?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. First, I'm not a superhero. Second, I'm not answering those questions to a twelve year old kid when hardly anyone alive even knows those answers. Third, it's time for you to scram." Cracking her knuckles, Jess stood on the edge of the building as she got ready to leave.

"Hey! I'm sixteen, almost seventeen! Wait, before you leave... what do I call you?"

"You don't." Jess let herself fall backwards off the building, twisting quickly so she could move to another building behind the cover of a bus.

Peter ran to the edge and looked around, unable to find the other Spider person. Who was she...?


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N**: Soooo! Not sure how I'm feeling about it, but I'm excited for more! I had to list Jessica Drew as an OC even though she obviously isn't. She's just not an Avenger so she's not on there. Here's Chapter 2! A little Tony and Peter fluff at the beginning.

**Disclaimer:** Still don't own any Marvel characters including Jessica. But man, life would be easier if I did!

"So, what's new kid? Ace a test? Break some hearts? Let's hear it." Tony Stark clapped his hands before rubbing them together, crossing his legs and leaning back in his chair. The Avengers Tower was quiet, some of the members on missions while others were out and about for the day. Just him and the teen that he had basically, as the others joked, adopted.

"Nothing new, Mr. Stark. Not.. not really. I think I did alright on my History exam and it's hard to break hearts when you don't really talk to girls. I had to dissect a heart in biology... does that count?" Peter looked at the older man with a smile, burger in hand as they sat at the large table in the huge kitchen. The Tower still managed to make Peter speechless at times with how technology driven it was and how _awesome _it was!

"Come on, give me something kid! It's been boring here, so boring that I'm apparently trying to find some drama to hear from a teenager." Tony scowled as he looked down at his phone, deleting email without reading them as he rolled his eyes.

"She calls me kid, too! Why do you do that?! I'm not a kid." Peter realized a moment too late what he had done as Tony's head snapped up to look at him, eyebrow raised. The billionaire's lips turning up into a smirk as he put his phone down.

"She? Who is she?"

"Um... Aunt-Aunt May? Yeah! Aunt May." Peter stuttered, suddenly fascinated with his burger as he cleared his throat. "It's just... I'm not, not technically a kid anymore, y'know?"

"Your aunt doesn't call you kid, I should know. That's my unoriginal, endearing nickname for you. Even the others don't call you that. Now, who is she? An older girl at school?"

Peter's cheeks burned as his mouth dropped open. "What?! No, no! Nothing like that. It's not- she's not... Oh jeez..." Peter groaned, smacking a hand to his forehead. Forever putting his foot in his mouth, Peter knew he couldn't lie to Tony. The man was like a pit bull, once he grabbed on to something he didn't let go. "She's just a woman I met, it's-"

"It's not like that. Yeah, I know. You've said that multiple times, now." Tony reached over and stole a fry from Peter's plate, eyebrow still raised as he kept his gaze locked. "A woman, huh? Decades younger than I am but getting more action than me... I need to get out of this tower." Tony sighed, smirking again as Peter's blush somehow continued to darken his face.

"She's... like me."

That made Tony's smile falter a bit as he straightened up a tad in his chair. Now this, this was what he had been waiting for. Not much surprised Tony, but that was certainly not what he thought the boy would say. "Come again? Like you as in socially awkward..? Or like you as in she spins webs and swings around town?" Tony joked, nudging the kid with his shoulder playfully.

"Both I guess? Maybe? I don't know much about her, Mr. Stark. I just know she doesn't like being called good or hero, but she stopped a robbery last night. I try to follow her but- well, she's older than me, she's probably been Spider..y... longer than I have, y'know? She's hard to keep up with." It all spilled out before he could stop himself, which was a common thing with Peter really. He would try to beat around the bush for a bit but eventually ended up slamming right through it.

Tony was mystified. _Another person flying around town that we missed... I've really got to talk to the others about surveillance. _He didn't realize the boy had asked a question until he snapped out of his little daze and saw him staring at him. "What?"

"I said I don't think she's bad do you?" Peter blinked at him with big, trusting eyes. Something that Tony would never get used to. Sure, the others trusted him and, to some degree, respected him. But Peter, he looked up to him. No one had ever looked up to him before, it was part of the reason he had tried to change. He went from being selfish a hundred percent of the time to a mild eighty.

"I don't know, kid... we don't know anything about her. I guess if she's stopping robberies and talking to you instead of pushing you off buildings, she can't be too bad." Tony reached over and ruffled his hair up, making Peter scowl and push his hand away with a smile. He decided not to mention the time she actually did push him off a building... it was okay though! He was almost positive she knew he had his web slingers with him... hopefully. "Maybe you could introduce me?"

Peter put his burger down and turned to his friend with a frown, shaking his head. "I don't think so, Mr. Stark. She's pretty flighty. I don't think she'd take well to me bringing someone to meet her. She doesn't even like me, she only tolerates me. Some days." he admitted, standing up and putting his plate in the sink. "Thanks for buying me lunch, Mr. Stark! See you tomorrow to train?" His hopeful look made Tony smile and wave his good-bye.

"Oh, and Peter?" He waited for the boy to turn around, a mischievous smile on his face. "Tell MJ I said hi." He laughed as Peter blushed and shook his head, running out of the room.

Tony tried to drop it, honest. But the idea of another enhanced person that no one knew anything about running loose in the city rubbed him the wrong way. "FRIDAY, call Eye Patch." he said aloud, walking to the kitchen and pouring himself a mug of coffee.

"Calling Director Fury, sir." The AI system said back politely, making Tony nod as he waited.

"What, Stark?"

"Well, hello to you too, Director. I know we only talk when you need me to risk my life, but I just had an interesting talk with our resident spider. Talk of the town is there's another like him. Do you know anything about another spider being around?"

"Yes." The man said simply, managing to surprise Tony for the second time within the hour. That was a record.

"And you haven't brought her up why? I'm sure Capsicle will be ecstatic to hear there's another super freak that he can boss around."

"Listen Stark, and listen closely. I don't report to you, I didn't bring her up because it's none of your damn business. Believe it or not, some people don't want to be in the public eye. We offered the opportunity to her, she declined. End of discussion. Do not engage with her unless you want your ass kicked." Nick Fury warned, hoping the man would listen for the first time in his life.

Hmmm... that only made Tony all the more interested. "The threat of getting my ass kicked hasn't stopped me any other time, has it?"

"Are you listening, Stark? Do no-"

"Yeah, yeah. Do not engage. Get ass kicked. I hear yah, Patchy." Tony hung up on the man who was in mid sentence before going to his lab to try to learn more about this woman. It might be hard without a name, but he didn't graduate MIT as a teenager by giving up.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Okay, here it is! The chapter that Tony and Jess finally meet! It's going to be rough, let's be honest.

**Disclaimer: **Don't own Marvel or any of the characters, just take credit for the tweaks to Jess.

* * *

"Kid, do you ever give up?" Jess groaned as Peter followed her into the abandoned building, hands on her hips as she turned to scowl at him. He had been trailing her a few blocks and while she tried to give him the slip, here they were.

Peter smiled sheepishly and ran a hand through his hair after taking off his mask and shrugging. "No. It's kind of my thing. Aren't you at least a little bit interested in the fact that we were both bit by radioactive spiders?"

"No." Jessica said briskly, not bothering to correct him that she wasn't bit by a spider.

That made him pause as he frowned and tilted his head in that way that he did. "... really? Because I'm pretty sure we're the only two out billions and that's a pretty crazy statistic. Even more so when you factor in that we both live in New York, even more so that we live in New York City and-"

"Oh my God, kid, do you ever shut up?!" She snarled, putting her hands to her head, her overly sensitive hearing driving her crazy as she listened to the boy babble and the dog barking down the street and YES! It was weird that there was someone like her! She just didn't care... or she told herself she didn't care.

"The answer you're looking for is no." A voice from behind her said, instantly making her tuck and roll away from him and stand in front of Peter, gun out already and pointed at the robot in front of her.

"What the fuck is that?!" She hissed, her back to Peter but her right arm behind her, wrapped around the boy. Had HYDRA found her? Even though she was careful and didn't use her real name plus paid with everything in cash, it wasn't like she was hiding exactly. This didn't quite look like something HYDRA would have, but at the same time, the Winter Soldier did have a metal arm.

Peter smiled as she protected him, raising a hand to wave to Tony as he landed the metal suit. He frowned when he saw the gun. "Oh, it's okay! That's just Mr. Stark! He won't hurt me." But Jess still didn't put her gun down, brow furrowed as she glared at the thing in front of her. He was friends with a robot...? Her confusion was slightly put to rest as the front of the helmet slid up revealing a very human face. Not lowering her gun, but letting the boy remove himself from behind her, Jess stayed on guard, gun still raised.

"Hey, kid. What have I told you about hanging out with strangers?" It was said in a teasing tone, but she could sense that he didn't have his guard down either. Good, he was right to stay guarded. "Especially beautiful ones with guns." the man added with a wink.

Ew. Her lip lifted in disgust as she scanned her eyes over him, feeling the cockiness of him after only two sentences. "She's not a stranger, Mr. Stark."

Jess sighed and rolled her eyes at the boy. He had a lot to learn. "Really? What's her name?" She watched as the question made her new shadow falter and frown, looking back at her. God damnit... why did he have to look like a lost puppy?!

"Peter, are you sure he's safe?" She used his name for the first time since knowing him for the last month which made him grin. Nodding, Peter patted the metal arm as if to prove it.

"Mr. Stark's a good guy, he just has no filter." Peter announced proudly, almost making her face crack into a smile, but she managed to keep it serious. Jeez, he needed to be around people his age or something. From what she could see, he had a pompous asshole for a role model (she could tell he worshiped him by the way he looked and talked about him), and an ex-assassin who had pushed him off a ledge.

Looking at the short woman in front of him, he raised an eyebrow. "Sure you should be asking if I'm the safe one, cupcake? I'm not the one who worked for HYDRA, after all... Jessica." It was like his words had flipped a switch in her. One moment she was standing as if frozen, the next she was pulling him towards her with her web, legs wrapped around his neck as she brought him down to the ground, suit and all. Gun cocked, barrel pushed to his head, Jessica was done with the quick tongued man.

"Who are you? How do you know about me?" She snarled, ignoring the shouts from Peter who had finally caught up with what was going on and watching in horror.

Tony had to admit, he didn't see that coming. Sure, he worked with Black Widow who was as deadly as any of them, if not more so. But the speed and the absolute smoothness of the moves she had pulled left him speechless. Was that move something all bad guys taught the females? He had seen Natasha take someone down using the same move.

And to add insult to injury, she didn't know who he was? "Ouch. You don't know who I am...? Cupcake, I'm hurt. Really and truly. You haven't heard of Iron Man? Come on... they don't talk about me back at headquarters? Nothing about number one target?" he chuckled, jaw clenching as the woman pushed the barrel into his temple more.

She had never been called a pet name or nick name before, maybe that was what had set it off. Maybe it was the mention of HYDRA... she wasn't sure. All she knew was it took a lot for her to lose her cool yet here she was, threatening to shoot someone in the head in front of a teenager. Looking down at the man, she sneered before moving backwards, flipping the safety on before shoving it back in the waist band of her pants.

Looking over at Peter in what he could only describe as betrayal, Jess pointed at him. "I told you to stop following me. Forget you ever saw me." She looked down at Tony, eyes narrowed. "Both of you." With a last look at Peter, she went to the window about to jump out of it when her legs were taken out from under her, surprising her (which was hard to do) enough that she wasn't able to catch herself in time before her face was getting slammed into the cement ledge. Everything went black.

_You woke up, eyes and lip swollen and bruised, blood dried to your face, wrist broke. You refused to fight back, telling them again that you didn't want to use your powers at all, for good or bad. Cuffed to a chair, you realize even if you weren't drained of energy, you wouldn't be able to use your enhanced strength to break free of the metal cuffs. _

_'You're tough' he chuckles, the man with his arms behind his back circling you as you refuse to look at him. 'You refuse to train, to use your powers... there's no one to threaten you with... no family to torture. Really, in most cases, you'd be disposed of.' _

_**Please...**__ you beg to yourself, closing your eyes. You hope he ends it. Not wanting to fight them, but not being willing to cave in to them. Not wanting to be tortured and stabbed just because you heal quickly, not wanting to be water boarded... not wanting to live through it anymore._

_'But... HYDRA is tougher. We have ways of making you do what we want, even when you refuse. Ask the Winter Soldier.' You remember the absolute wicked look in his eyes as he snapped his fingers at the technicians waiting behind you who gather around and start placing something on your head. 'They call it brainwashing... but really, it's brain clearing. Say good-bye to your memories, and your resolve, Miss Drew.'_

_The electric shock on your head is so painful, you remember it vividly as it coursed through your body. You can hear screaming and realize it's you. For moments you're thrashing and yelling, the next it's all black._

Her eyes flew open as she finally pulled herself from the dark, her heart racing as she was indeed, strapped down. Instantly thrashing around, trying to get free, Jess realized she was in what appeared to be a hospital room. Her head was pounding as she took a moment to get her bearings, she made herself remember what had happened recently, pushing away her past but unable to remember exactly what had happened. Looking around the room, she frowned and reached down to the straps, groaning as she thanked whatever Gods might be out there that the straps were loose. Loose enough for her to slip out of. Rubbing her wrist with her hand, the brunette ripped the IV's and blood pressure cuff from her arms and stood up, almost falling as a dizzy bout came upon her.

Hearing footsteps of multiple people, Jess looked around, panicked that she didn't see her leather jacket anywhere or anything to really protect herself with. Taking the glass of water that was on the bedside table, she smashed it and picked up the longest piece she could, ignoring as it cut into her hand as she pointed herself and her left hand at the door. She had been in worse situations and survived.

If she was surprised that a hoard (okay, five) of people were coming into her room, she didn't let it show on her face. Holding steady, her eyes raced between the two people in front, her face set in a calm glare as her heart raced. "Whoa, hey... it's alright. No one is going to hurt you." The man in front of her said in a soothing voice, blue eyes trying to meet her wild, green ones. This man... he was familiar.

"Captain... America...?" Her voice questioned, though it wasn't clear if she was questioning herself or the man. Steve looked surprised, raising an eyebrow but nodding.

"What?! She knows who you are but has never heard of me? I'm convinced now you guys set all of this up." Stark's baffled voice wafted through the room, making her tense up and hold the glass even tighter.

She didn't mention that the only reason she knew him is because he was classified as HYDRA's number one enemy. Jess shifted her hand between the two, trying to keep her composure as her head spun. "Miss Jessica, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you, honest! I just, you were leaving. And, and I wanted you to stay and Mr. Stark shouldn't have said that stuff. Are you okay?" The two men tried to stop Peter from going towards the woman who was obviously feeling cornered, Steve starting to step forward but hesitating when Jess lowered the glass with a huff.

"Kid, the only person who called me Jessica was my mother. If you're going to know my name... at least call me Jess." She grumbled, pulling on the neck of the hospital gown, finding this all silly. A simple bump to the head would be completely healed in another hour. Between Steve looking baffled at the sudden turn around of the hostile female in front of him and the amused look on Tony's, she almost forgot about the other two people hovering behind the first three.

"Ma'am, this is Dr. Cho. She's going to check your head and make sure you're alright. This is-" Steve was cut off as Fury cleared his throat and stepped into the room.

"Miss Drew... we meet again."

"Fury... indeed, we do. I guess the circumstances are... somewhat better." The man nodded in agreement while the other men continued to look as confused as before.

"I'll be back to speak with you later. Peter, why don't you stay with her while Dr. Cho looks at her, keep her company." If anyone knew Nick Fury, they would know he wasn't the kind to really have humor. But the way Jess looked at him with almost a pained expression, she could've sworn he was almost smirking at her before he jerked his head towards the door.

Jess held back a sigh and let the glass drop from her hand as Peter came over and looked at her with wide eyes, concerned about her bleeding hand and asking Dr. Cho to help. "Peter, accelerated healing, I'll be fine." But a part of her was almost warm as the boy worried over her, making her lips tilt in an almost smile and letting the doctor wrap her hand to make him feel better.


	4. Chapter 4

"Are you sure it was wise to leave Peter with her after all of that...?" Steve asked, looking back with a concerned gaze for his youngest team mate.

"Are you kidding? Did you see the way the shrimp de-puffed the moment the kid came over? No, if anything, he's safer than any of us would be with her. Besides, he can take care of himself. He almost took you out, remember?" Stark smirked, leaning back in the swivel chair and moving from side to side as Steve opened his mouth but was silenced by Fury telling them to knock if off.

"I understand he's your teammate, Rogers. But you have to try to forget his age sometimes. Haven't you learned in this line of work to never judge a book by it's cover? Drew might come from HYDRA, but she has more in common with you than you realize, Captain. A lot more."

"So why are we tiptoeing around her? Why don't you let us try to bring her to the light side or whatever?"

Fury glared at Tony after his remark, walking towards the table in the conference room that the other two men sat at. "We've been trying to for the last six months. You can't force someone to be a hero, not everyone wants to be in the spot light, believe it or not. Somehow I don't think following her around, knocking her out, and strapping her to a hospital bed is going to convince her to join us." He growled, slamming his hands down on the table as Tony met his gaze right back, not having the decency to at least look sorry.

"She was a potential threat to the kid, it was my duty to check her out since you wouldn't give me anything else. Tell us what her gig is, Fury. And before you give a bullshit response, remember that while I am a gracious host, this is _my_ tower. I'm not letting a stranger I know nothing about live here. So, you can either tell me what you know that's important and I may let her stay... or I can find the information myself since I know her full name and then I may still not let her stay. Dealer's choice."

Realizing that there was a little bit of give and take involved with the team, he looked at both of the leaders for his team before tossing the file he had on her to the middle of the table. "Jessica Drew. Sixty-two. HYDRA obtained and trained."

Tony choked on his drink as him and the Captain exchanged looks. "Sixty-two?! What? She looks like she's in her late twenties. What the hell is up with all the senior citizens you're vetting, Fury?"

"If you would shut the hell up for more than ten seconds, I would tell you." The man was losing his patience but managed to wait a moment, making sure Stark was done talking before clearing his throat. "Right. Jessica Drew. You were right to be cautious. She's lethal when she wants to be. She's got blood on her hands, buckets of it. Fluent in five languages, best in hand-to-hand combat, and she has had her enhanced senses since she was twelve. Don't underestimate her, even though you obviously already have since Parker told me she laid you out."

"It was luck, I wasn't ready." Tony grumbled, crossing his arms to pout, but both Steve and Fury ignored him.

"How is any of that supposed to make me feel better about leaving her with Peter? I don't see any similarities except we're both old." Steve said seriously, making Tony nod in agreement for once.

Fury walked towards the window, arms behind his back as he looked out at the city. "When she was twelve, she was dying. Her father was a genius, a scientist in the same ranks as Banner. He injected her with a spider serum he had been working on, not unlike your super soldier serum. Left her in an incubation chamber for forty years until someone let her out. She went in as a twelve year old, came out forty years later looking like she was seventeen. Trained at a place called Mount Wundergore for two years. Has been in HYDRA ever since, minus the last six months or so." The director didn't bother looking at the Captain, but knew due to the kind of man he was that he had to be feeling empathetic towards the female.

"Cap was a Capsicle for decades, too. Didn't make him turn to the dark side." Tony pointed out, trying not to look too intrigued at the story.

"I assume the Captain also knows a bit about HYDRA's techniques for turning someone unwillingly to their side. She was at the same location Barnes was, at least some of the time. Listen, I know she's new. I know it's hard to blindly trust someone you just met. But I wouldn't be trying to vet her if she was going to try to kill us. At the moment, just like when she found us and we helped restore her memory as best we could, she's playing Switzerland. Doesn't like bullies, but doesn't want to be a hero. It'll be hard to convince her, I've tried every couple of months and it's always a hard no. Instead of kidnapping her, can we try to show her what it's like being on a team? One that doesn't torture her?" He was mainly looking at Tony as he said it. Steve nodded automatically, though Fury and Tony both knew that would happen the moment he learned she had been through the same fate as Bucky. Though it wasn't as quickly, Tony found himself nodding as well.

If anything, he was curious about her and wanted to know more about her past, especially how she got out of HYDRA. It didn't seem like the kind of organization to just let you walk out the front door. He followed the other two out, his mind instantly going in twenty different directions.

* * *

Jess had lost the last eight years of her life to a terrorist group that tortured her and made her kill innocent people. She had decided once she was free of HYDRA that she was done letting others use her power, whether for right or wrong. She was done having people tell her what to do. And yet, somehow, after spending only twenty minutes in the hospital room with the boy, she found herself not only convincing him it was for the best if she didn't join, but also having to convince herself.

"I don't think it's a good idea." Even though she didn't ask to be part of HYDRA, she still was... she was still the one pulling the trigger. "I'm not hero material." They would never trust her, she told herself. She would never be part of the team, not really.

"The only thing that is making you not hero material is the fact that you won't say yes to being part of the team. There are people on this team that aren't innocent and have pasts. Assassin pasts. Bucky himself was part of HYDRA, Wanda, too. They're just as much part of the team as the others are. And Mr. Stark... well, Mr. Stark isn't always the nicest guy. We all fit in because we don't fit in. It's a family here, Jess... you could be part of it, too."

She shook her head as she pulled her jeans on. She was used to dressing in front of people so she didn't give Peter a heads up, which made him blush and turn around. "Look, I've never had parents... it was always my Aunt May and my Uncle Ben. I've never had a family and now that Uncle Ben is gone... I feel like I belong here. I feel like I met you for a reason, Miss Drew. Please, don't leave..."

Something inside her chest clenched as he spoke, realizing she actually liked the kid... which was a big deal for her. "And if they don't want me to stay, _kleine Spinne_?" she asked in a soft voice, suddenly feeling very protective over the 'little spider' that had found her only a month or so ago, not bothering to correct him when he called her Miss Drew. Again.

"If they don't let you stay, I won't either!" Peter said, straightening up and trying to puff himself up which made her chuckle.

"Peter, you don't live here."

"Oh... well still!"

"I have my own place, I don't need to live here."

Peter hesitated, shaking his head. "I don't know why but I have a bad feeling about you staying alone. I know- I know you can protect yourself..." he said in a hurry after she scowled and opened her mouth to argue. "I just think it would be a good idea to be here... around us."

Jess let out a deep breath, still only in her bra as the door opened. Not bothering to hurry, Jess turned to look at the door with her shirt in her hand. Fury settled for a spot above her shoulder, Steve blushed and stuttered out a sorry as he looked away, but Tony... Tony smirked and stared her straight in the eyes, as if daring her to look away. Raising her own eyebrow this time, Jess pulled on her shirt slowly before grabbing her leather jacket.

"I have to ask again, Drew. Reconsider my offer."

Jess looked at Fury, the smile she had on for Peter had been wiped away the moment the door opened, replaced with a look that gave away nothing. "And if I refuse...?"

"What do you mean?" Steve asked with a frown, the red in his cheeks slowly disappearing.

"Are you going to lock me up and make me stay?"

At that, all of them looked at her and frowned. It would've been comical if she wasn't so damn worried. "Nobody _has_ to be in the Avengers, cupcake." Tony snapped. "It's a spot that has to be earned. To be honest, one that I'm not sure you deserve. We don't just invite anyone into this band, trust me. They almost didn't want me, of all people. If you don't want to join, there's the door. I'd say don't let it hit you on your way out, but FRIDAY is much more polite than I and wouldn't let a door slam on someone, right FRIDAY?"

Friday...? Jess looked at him in confusion before jumping a bit at the robotic voice that responded coming from... really, she didn't know from where. Tony looked at her with a smirk which left his face after noticing she had a gun again. "Where do you hide these guns...?" he scowled as the brunette woman slowly lowered the gun she had been pointing at the ceiling.

"Do you really want to know, Stark?" The somewhat humorous tone in her reply made Peter snort as he tried to muffle his laughter, ducking as Stark cuffed him on the back of the head. Steve even smiled a bit before turning his serious face back on and looking back at Fury.

"The decision is your's, Drew. Like I've told you before, nobody will make you accept the offer. You want to stay, stay." Fury shrugged, straightening his black jacket and turning to leave, sure that she would deny him like before.

"... Okay."

Nick Fury let the shock show on his face as he turned back around slowly, looking at the female that Coulson had almost begged to join them. Seeing her looking at Peter instead of the others, he immediately understood why she had said yes. "Run that by me again, Drew?"

"Don't make me regret my decision, Fury... I said okay. I want to be here. Don't make it a thing..." Jess grumbled, crossing her arms and refusing to let the smile that Peter wore transfer over to her. "But I want to stay at my apartment, still." she added as an after thought, feeling tired and wanting to make it back home to her asshole cat and her bed.

Though they wanted to argue, especially Peter, they were all so surprised that she agreed that Fury just nodded and cleared his throat. "Alright... that's settled. Stark, get her clearance into the Tower. Welcome to the Avengers, Miss Drew."

Jess watched him leave, feeling the other three's eyes on her. What had she agreed to...?


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **Hello all! I know there hasn't been very much interaction with Tony and Jess but we're getting there! This one has a little bit more drama in it, but the next chapter we get a little more backstory of how she met Peter. Also, look wise I feel like Lyndsy Fonseca as Jessica would be DOPE so that's just who I picture personally.

**Disclaimer: **Don't own MCU or Marvel characters, only the plot/things that I've made up for the story. Hope you enjoy!

* * *

Jess found herself taking the long way up to her apartment, aka the stairs instead of swinging through her fire escape, a month later. She was an Avenger now... how did that even happen?! She had gone into the year a HYDRA fugitive and now she was an Avenger... Years ago, before HYDRA, all she had wanted was an apartment to live a quiet life with a cat like any other normal female. She got the apartment and the cat, why did she have to mess it up by trying to be a hero?! Sure, the cat was a dick and the apartment was falling apart, but they were her's! What had made her go soft?

It was obvious to everyone, Peter was the main reason she had stayed. She felt a connection with the kid, as much as it pained her. And... maybe she wanted to belong for once. For once she wanted to be around people who were on the same level as her.

As she made it to her floor, Jess made sure to keep the small smile off her face, instead turning to face Peter as he bounced on the balls of his feet. They could sense each other, part of the 'spidey sense' Peter had decided to call it. "I still can't believe you joined." He had said that at least a hundred times, it seemed.

"Yeah, you and me both." she mumbled pulling out her keys and moving towards her door, coming to an abrupt stop that had Peter walking into her. Something was wrong... Reaching back with her enhanced reflexes, Jess covered his mouth with her free hand, shaking her head and putting her finger to her mouth. The door mat was all wrong, and there was no meowing... her cat was always meowing when she came up the stairs, which she always found odd but now was thankful for it. Pushing him to the side so he was out of the doorway, Jess took her gun out of the holster on her side and waited only seconds before kicking the door off it's hinges and going inside, sweeping through the small apartment quickly with her gun expertly. Sticking clear of the windows as she swept the place.

Eyes narrowed, Jess looked around one more time before lowering her gun just a hair, frowning as she looked to the door still on high alert. The kid wasn't outside her door anymore, confused as she looked around. "Oh, it must've been a false alarm, Captain Rogers!" Her eyes widened as she pivoted, her gaze landing on the teenager who was holding his phone to his ear at the same moment a bullet shattered the glass and tore through Peter's stomach. Her scream of total rage ripped through the air as she lifted her gun and shot the man on her fire escape in the head after he had shot a few more rounds, moving quickly so she could catch the boy as he fell. Grabbing the phone from the ground, she put it in his lap as she drug Peter to her room while still shooting towards the window as more voices were caught with her superb hearing. Slamming the door shut, she mumbled 'no' over and over as she pushed her hair out of her face with a shaking bloody hand.

_"Jess! Peter! What happened? I'm coming!" _

Jess snapped out of it quickly and grabbed the phone. "Too slow. You don't know where I live. Avengers Tower, the roof. Give me five minutes." Her voice was shaky as she held a sweater to her new friend's stomach and used a belt to tighten and hold it in place. Hearing a pissed off sounding meow, Jess turned to the fat cat coming out from the bed to come investigate. A sound of relief left her mouth as she reached a hand out and grabbed the cat. "Mochi! You fat bastard, thank God."

"Your cat's name... is Mochi... like Big Hero 6?" The teenager's words were groaned out, obviously in pain as she looked down at him.

Not knowing what Big Hero 6 meant but not having the heart to tell him he had just googled Calico male cat and a cartoon one had popped up, Jess nodded. "Yes... he's a dick, I'm sure he'll get along with Stark." she said, shoving the cat into a drawstring bag despite his protests and hisses. She hesitated as she saw the yellow and red suit under her bed and shoved it in as well before putting the bag on her back.

He laughed at that, coughing and groaning which made her move quicker, hearing people breaking in out in the living room. "Kid, you need to listen. Hold onto me and don't let go. You hear me?" Before he could respond, she had scooped up Peter, his phone shoved in her pocket and had pushed open the window before throwing herself out it. Holding onto him as best as she could with one arm, she used her web slingers to get them from building to building, feeling real fear for someone else for the first time in a long time. Repeating to herself that it would be okay, he would be okay, they would be okay, Jess managed to get to the giant Tower in three minutes, dropping them both down onto the roof, ignoring the yowling cat on her back.

"Jess! What happened?!" Steve shouted over the wind as Jess pulled herself and Peter through the door he was holding open, gasping for breath as she clung to Peter who was pale. If he was like her, than he wasn't bullet proof. Sure, it took longer for her to bleed out and depending on where the bullet went, it could be healed in days. But depending on the size and placement of it, a bullet was bullet. It could be deadly.

"He was at my apartment, I knew something was wrong. I told him... I told him to stay put. He thought everything was okay so he came in and they shot him." She spit everything out quickly, surprising Steve by how frazzled she was. In the month or so that he had known her, she hadn't showed many emotions, unless you counted bickering with Tony. Letting Steve take him, Jess followed behind him quickly, dropping the bag with her cat on a couch they passed on the way to the medical wing.

"Are you hurt?"

Jess was paying too much attention to Peter after Steve had put him on the gurney and the doctor yelling to get this and that, not even noticing that he had asked her a question. _My fault... all my fault..._ she thought to herself in horror, startled when a hand went to her shoulder. "Jess... are you hurt?" The woman hesitated before shaking her head. "You're bleeding, though. Can I look?" She shrugged, wincing as she felt the pain for the first time, the adrenaline wearing off quickly. With a steady hand, Steve pulled the shoulder of her shirt down that was soaking with blood as modestly as he could, moving to look at the back of her shoulder. "Didn't go through, Doctor Cho will have to get it out. We'll have to keep pressure on it for now."

She didn't hear anything as she looked past him at where they had taken Peter through some doors, worry etched on her face. Not seeing Tony burst through the doors, not hearing him talk to Steve, well, yell at him. She only noticed him after he had grabbed her by the shoulders and slammed her against the wall, causing her to breath in sharply and meet his eyes. "This is all your fault. You're barely here a month and now my- our kid... is bleeding and might die?" he snarled, pulling his arm away from Steve and punching the wall directly next to her head. She didn't flinch, only stared back at him for the first time.

"You're right. It's my fault... I shouldn't have let him convince me to join... he would still be safe." Her voice was low, not a whisper, but quiet enough that if Steve didn't have super hearing he wouldn't have been able to hear her. Her admittance made Tony pause, his breathing heavy as his arms shook against her shoulders, hurting her but not daring to say anything. She deserved this.

"Stop it, Tony. She's hurt, too. She brought him here. If you're going to be here, fine. But if you're going to be out of line, get out and I'll tell you when there's news." Steve had yanked Tony off her, but against the wall is where she stayed. Sliding down it, knees bent up towards her chest as she held her head in her bloody hands. This, this was why she didn't _want_ to be a part of anything. A friendship, a team, a relationship. She had learned this already, that love of any kind was weakness. Why couldn't she have just walked away?

"Is there a reason this bag sounds like it contains a Hell hound?" A loud, booming voice caught her attention, making her look up slowly.

"That's my cat. Sorry." Jess mumbled as the man with shoulder length hair turned to face her, crossing the large room in what seemed like two strides and bending over to hand her the bag. Jess didn't reach for the bag, instead letting him set the bag on the ground in front of her.

"No problem, little lady." Too exhausted to be annoyed by that, she nodded in thanks. Jess opened the bag and sighed as the huge cat hissed and scrambled out of the bag, making the huge man jump to the side in surprise. Tony watched as the cat took off, rolling his eyes and holding his head in his hand.

"FRIDAY? Order some cat supplies and have them delivered immediately." He said to his AI system, getting a confirmation back before going to a drawer and grabbing things out of it. "The last thing I need is cat presents all over my damn tower." He huffed darkly, turning to walk back over in her direction though she didn't notice as she stared blankly at the floor. "What? I'm not going to hurt her." Tony said to the Captain who had grabbed his arm before he passed. Holding up the gauze and scissors he waved them in front of him as if to prove it before slipping past him and looking down at her. "Come on, get up. I don't need you bleeding out in a medical wing of all places... the amount of paper work. Hey, Drew." Sighing, Tony looked back over to the man who towered over them. "Thor, little help buddy?"

Jess tensed and gripped her bag as she was lifted like she weighed nothing, though she was barely a buck twenty soaking wet, the ease of which the person did it made her look up into the handsome face of the new man. "Fear not, fair maiden. Stark will fix you, or rather, the Captain will tell him how and they shall argue about who knows best." He grinned a lopsided grin down at her, making her feel safe for some reason. Thor... she'd have to look up more about him and the other Avengers, if she was still a part of the team after this. Setting her down on a hospital bed, Steve and Tony both walked over to her.

"If she heals like the rest of us, we need to get the bullet out before the wound closes." Steve pointed out, taking some gauze from Tony as the darker haired man cut at her shirt, waiting until he was out of his way before pressing the gauze into her shoulder.

"Dr. Cho is busy... FRIDAY?"

"Yes, sir?"

"Ask Dr. Banner to come to the medical wing. Ask him to hurry, you can throw a please in if you want." Tony nodded as the AI agreed, looking back to the woman who was quiet. Not that that was anything new. If anything, she spoke less than Romanoff, and that was impressive. "So, what happened to the kid, kid?" Tony mused, his mind racing as he thought about Peter, knowing he would be in the way if he went to bother the doctors with updates, deciding to stay with the others and wait. He was sure FRIDAY had already contacted the boy's aunt.

Jess let her eyes snap up to glare at the man, knowing he already knew her age though they had never spoke about it. "You know I'm older than you." Ahhh, there it was. The growl from the woman made him smirk and shrug.

"Technically, yes. But are we going by technicalities or since you were frozen in time for decades, are we not going by time in play? There's definitely a difference." Tony pointed out, earning another growl from her as she went to stand up to deck him. The man always managed to get under her skin. Lucky for him, Steve and Thor caught her by her good shoulder and pushed her back down gently.

"As much as I'd love to see you beat him up another time, I think right now we should focus on getting you better, Jess." Looking away from him, she huffed but nodded in agreement. She along with the others looked up as yet another new person (at least to her) walked through the sliding glass doors.

"You needed me, Tony?" Bruce asked, his hands clasped together as he noticed a strange face. "Oh, you must be Jess. I'm Dr. Banner, you can call me Bruce, though. I've heard a lot about you. Don't worry, I only believe the things that Peter has told me." His words earned a small smile from her. Peter spoke fondly of the man, at least this time the person he spoke of actually seemed decent. She was still confused how he got caught up with Stark, but that was a question that may never be answered.

"Jess got shot while getting Peter out of dodge. She's got accelerated healing so we're afraid the wound will close before they can get the bullet out." Steve explained, lifting the gauze slowly so Bruce could look at it. Frowning, he ran a hand through his hair and nodded.

"I'm not a doctor, but I have been practicing for minor injuries in case Dr. Cho isn't available... I can get the bullet out, but I don't have any idea how much morphine she'll need since she's probably got a higher tolerance like you, Cap. It might take me a while..."

"Just take it out." Hearing about how she would be in pain just made her heart hurt thinking about how much Peter could be hurting. Her voice caught all of their attention as she poked the wound and looked at Bruce. "They used to shoot me in the arm or leg to track how fast I would heal, whether they tried to see how long it would take to close up with the bullet still inside or how long the wound would take after they dug it out. I don't even know if pain killers work. Just take it out." The way she talked so nonchalant about being shot, really just about anything from her past, obviously had the men hesitating. Glancing around at them she frowned. Well, maybe she wouldn't tell them about HYDRA experimenting with poisons on her when they found out she was immune to them. "What? The longer you take, the more it'll close and it's a real bitch getting cut open when you aren't numb."

Bruce looked uncomfortable but nodded, agreeing that waiting for him to do a calculation to find out how much she would need wasn't a good idea. Looking around in the drawer next to the sink for a pair of forceps that were still in the sterilization package, Bruce grabbed a package along with some iodine and a suture kit and turned back to Jess. "I feel bad that the first time I'm meeting you I'm going to be causing you pain." he joked nervously, making Jess shrug her good shoulder and pat his hand.

"C'est la vie, Dr. Banner." She pulled her arm free of the cut shirt with the help of Steve so he had more access, pulling down her bra strap and letting him squirt the iodine on her. He made sure his gloves were up as far as they would go and debriefed the Captain on when to cover it with gauze again before bringing the forceps to the wound and beginning to search for the bullet. As he pulled and tugged on the wound, Jess looked up, realizing Tony was analyzing her. Staring back, she frowned, blocking out the pain like she had done so many times with HYDRA. The more she cried out, the more they would make it hurt. _A good assassin doesn't show pain, Arachne. Again._

Tony tried to decipher the woman in front of him, his eyes sweeping over her face for any signs of pain but not finding any. She was staring back at him now, but there was no anger or annoyance. No, the only thing he saw... was emptiness. He was used to that look, saw it countless times with Natasha at first, even with Barnes now that he could bare the sight of him for short periods of time. Note to self, don't get taken alive by HYDRA... not that there was enough brainwashing in existence to get him to stop talking and being a smart ass.

Steve was rubbing her shoulder, more out of habit she was sure than actually trying to console her since she hadn't made a noise. She still wasn't convinced that any of the people surrounding her cared about her. How could they? The only reason she had taken a shine to Peter so quickly is because he was young and innocent, naive. These people didn't know her, didn't know what she was capable of. And she had gotten the kid of the group hurt. Not that she wanted them to care... more people to care about just added up to more liabilities. She had made a mistake caring for the boy, but now that she did care for him... she was going to make them pay for hurting him.

"Got it. What kind of bullet is this? It was really buried in there." Bruce asked with a grunt as he pulled it out and dropped it on the table, signaling for Steve to cover the wound with gauze.

"9 mm." Tony and Jess said at the same time, making them both turn sharply to glare at the other.

Looking between the two, the scientist raised an eyebrow as they both answered his question that he hadn't meant for anyone to answer. "... Okay then. I just need to stitch it up, I know you have accelerated healing, but take it easy for a day or two, alright?"

Just as Bruce had finished, Dr. Cho came out and pulled her surgical mask off. "He's going to be okay... he's resting. I was able to find the right drug to keep him comfortable." The four men all looked relieved, especially Tony who's face looked less severe already. "He's asking for Miss Drew." Tony's smiled faded, the jealousy coursing through his veins. Her...? He hardly knew her!

"Thanks, Doc. Do you think you could try and see if that drug will help Jess, too?" Steve asked, arms crossed and looking at the female doctor.

"Oh... is Miss Drew hurt?"

"... yeah, she was shot but Bruce fixed her-" turning, he realized that both Jess and her backpack were no where to be seen. He frowned. "-up..."

Tony scowled. Of course... the moment the kid needed her, she was gone. What had he expected? It was probably all a distraction, her acting like she cared. "I'm going to see the kid, Doc." Not waiting for Dr. Cho to answer, he went through the doors, looking for Peter. When he found him, Tony was shocked at how bleak he looked. Normally, the kid was smiling and bouncing around. His chest felt tight as he cleared his throat and walked into the room, hands in his pockets.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: **Don't own MCU or Marvel characters, only the plot/things that I've made up for the story. Hope you enjoy!

"So, you replacing me with other spiders, huh kid?" Tony said lightheartedly as he sat next to Peter, trying to not sound as hurt as he secretly felt. He smirked and squeezed the kid's hand before leaning back in the chair next to his bed, happy to see Peter smiling feebly.

"No... Want her to know... it's not her fault." Peter mumbled, wincing as he tried to raise the bed more.

Tony scowled and shook his head at the boy's attempts of moving. "Hey, stay still. I know you can't see me in all my glorious wonder, but you don't need to be sitting up... I know you think you know her, Peter... but it is her fault. She's the adult, she should be able to keep you safe if she's an Avenger."

Peter shook his head as fiercely as he could. "No, it wasn't! I, I showed up at her apartment. She told me to stay outside while she checked but I went inside before she said I could. It-it was my fault. She can tell, she can tell you don't trust her." It was hard for him to talk, the drugs making him drowsy as he fought off sleep.

He sighed and frowned, knowing the boy was too trusting for his own good. "Yeah, well her leaving the moment she was patched up doesn't make me trust her. That's why I'm here, she's not." Immediately upon seeing Peter's crestfallen face, he regretted saying anything to him.

"She's... she's gone? You have to find her, Mr. Stark! She's flighty. You can track her, she has my phone... I think." Tony rubbed his face, trying not to be annoyed by the teenager worrying over Drew. "They can't take her back, Tony... please." Him using his first name pushed him over the edge, knowing if it was what Peter really wanted, he would travel all of New York City if he had to to find the woman.

"Okay, kid... I can't promise I'll bring her back. Don't look at me like that, if she doesn't want to come back, I can't make her... but I'll see what I can do." Tony offered, trying not to look too put off at the idea.

The smile the kid gave him before he lulled off to sleep made going to find Drew worth it.

* * *

"You know, red and yellow is sort of my gig, Drew."

Jess ignored Stark's remark as she sat, crouched on the roof of her apartment building in her spider suit that was red and yellow, the webbing beneath her arms showing as she stood up. She had been trying to single out the sounds around her, knowing HYDRA had to be somewhere close. While she hadn't been out on a mission with the Avengers yet, if someone had been tracking her well enough, they may know she had been in and out of the Avengers Tower recently. Or they had just caught up to where she lived after she had taken out the robber a few weeks ago.

"You'll have to take it up with HYDRA." Jess said in a monotone, not hearing anything out of the ordinary which was pissing her off.

"You sure you can't talk to them when you go running back to them? The way you ran, err... swung? The way you swung off the moment you were patched up, kind of seems like you had somewhere to be." Tony accused just as coldly, letting the mask slide up so he could see her clearly.

Lifting her lip, Jess turned to him with a snarl. "You're right, I did have somewhere to be." Fists clenched, she stared him down, mask hiding the pissed off expression on her face.

"He asked for you, you know? Not me, not his Aunt May; you. And you just left. Not that you care. Did you ever care about him? Or was this all just a clever way to infiltrate our team?"

Jess tried to pull him to her with her web like she had the first time they met, but he was ready for her and grabbed the web himself, grabbing her by her wrists and holding her tightly. "Don't you dare attempt to guess how I feel. Just because you're jealous that he asked for me instead of you and don't trust me, doesn't mean I don't care." she hissed, jumping up and using her feet to push him away, landing with a back flip on her feet. Grimacing against the pain in her shoulder as she stayed crouched down, facing him.

"How could ANYONE guess how you feel, Drew?! You never show any emotions or feelings! Nobody knows how you're feeling or what you're thinking, you don't let anyone in except for the kid. And even him you keep at a distance. I'm not sure you even have feelings." Tony all but barked at her.

Putting his foot in his mouth was his specialty, and he had done it twice in one night. He never censored his thoughts or words, which normally he didn't care about... but when he realized the woman had frozen and that he was supposed to be bringing her back like he told Peter he would try, he had the decency to realize he had been out of line. "I didn't mean that-"

Ripping off her mask, Tony immediately saw the hurt in her eyes as she was too slow to mask it. "I was coming to kill them, you insufferable asshole!" He didn't move to stop her as she came forward and shoved him, though he was taken off guard even weeks later at the strength the small girl had. "I waited until I heard the doctor say he was okay, and I came to find them... I couldn't face him. I almost lost him, because I let him convince me to join. I've never cared about someone, alright?" She shoved him again, anger all over her face as she gritted her teeth, turning from him. "... I should've just moved when he first found me and he would be okay..."

Sitting down on the edge of the building, letting her legs dangle, Jess tried to get her heart rate to slow down as she tried to will the man away with her mind.

But just like Peter, Tony wasn't one who gave up so easy. Sighing, Tony looked at her, watching her hair whipping to the side as she looked down at the mask in her hands. She didn't bother acknowledging him as he sat next to her. "... I'm just going to say. I don't trust you. I don't know you or how you left HYDRA, I still don't know how you found the kid, and now HYDRA is at our doorstep... I've been known to overthink things but, come on. It all seems... suspicious."

At first, she didn't say anything, not realizing that Fury hadn't told him the story of how they first met. He waited for a moment before he started to get up, thinking she wasn't going to respond to him. "They convinced me I was mutated from a spider, that I had never been human and that SHIELD had wanted to kill me. Made me think they had saved me from the bad guys. There was an agent that was in charge of me after the brainwashing, after they got me to be their puppet... Jared. He was that small, slice of normal I was dying for. Craving, really... He made me feel human. Made me feel like more than just Arachne... I thought I was so in love with him..." She didn't realize that Tony had taken his seat again next to her, brow furrowed as he listened to her. "I saw him everyday... everyday for four years we trained, he made them take it easy on me for training and punishment. I thought he loved me even though I wasn't human. One day, he didn't show up to training. HYDRA said SHIELD took him... so naturally, I went after him." She chuckled darkly, her mind taking her back to that night months ago, still vividly etched in her brain.

_"You were never a spider, Jessica." Blood spluttered from his mouth as he coughed, bleeding from the chest from the gun wound._

_"Jessica...? What-what do you mean? I'm not Jessica... they've done something to you." You had snapped, cocked the gun and let out a snarl as the SHIELD agent had started moving, trying to remind him that you were the one with the loaded gun._

"I... I was supposed to kill Fury, that was my assignment. Kill Fury. Get Jared... during the fight, somehow I managed to shoot him..." Jess' voice shook as she explained the story for the first time to anyone. Automatically, Tony realized that he had been wrong. Hearing her speak more than one sentence, hearing the emotions behind the words... he mumbled that she could stop. But the memories were already pounding in her head.

_"They lied... we lied. HYDRA kidnapped you... you were a human... an enhanced human. Never a spider. Jessica Drew... I was assigned to make you fall for me... so you would kill Fury to... get me back." _

_"NO! SHUT UP, JARED. You're lying! This is a mind trick!" You had yelled, pointed the gun at the dying man. He had shook his head, told you he failed the moment he fell for you... _

_"... _And then... he died." Jess cleared her throat and pushed the tears away, refusing to let them fall. She hadn't cried then, she refused to cry now. "That was when I realized that quote 'love is weakness' is true. Found out the hard way that feelings are just an easy way to be manipulated. I dropped the gun, let them take me an interrogation room... and that was when Fury helped me get the block off my mind. But, I still didn't get everything back... small things. I don't remember where I was born, I don't know if I had any childhood pets, I've never had a friend..." Jess shrugged and clenched the mask again.

The brain washing, the block on her memory; she still remembered holding a gun, panting and shaking as he admitted that her whole life- no, not even her life; her memories, were all fake. All lies. He had never loved her... even though he said he did, how could she believe him? He had molded her to become what she was. A killer who had killed innocent people and thought she was doing good. She was no hero...

Standing up, Jess put her mask back on to hide the pain and memories haunting her eyes. "... Peter found me. Most people don't talk to me, I guess I have that look-"

"RBF."

Jess frowned. "RBF?"

"Never mind, continue." Tony bit his tongue, not wanting to explain to the woman who didn't even know how to text what resting bitch face was.

"What it comes down to... I'm not friendly. Even now, I'm not. But he saw through all of that. He followed me, I blew him off. Twice he tried to talk to me and I basically told him to fuck off. The time I actually talked to him, I remembered my favorite color. He said my eyes were a cool green and it hit me, green had always been my least favorite color, but I loved the color blue. When I'm around him, I feel like I have a purpose. I remember who I want to be.."

"Can I tell you something?" Tony asked after a moment, voice softened as she nodded at him curiously. "He has a way of doing that... don't feel special." he teased, actually pulling a laugh out of the woman that had his breath hitching in his chest. He had never heard her laugh... it made him smile and laugh with her. He frowned though as he realized her shoulder was a darker color than the rest of the red on it. Stepping forward, he went to touch her shoulder. "Jesus, Capsicle and Banner are going to be pissed." His hand was caught by her small one, the instinct to stop him still there... though she only hesitated for a moment before letting her hand relax. "I'm not going to hurt you... the kid would never forgive me. So, you're safe for the time being... but don't get cocky about it." The man took his hand from the armored glove, letting his fingers graze over the dark spot, confirming she was bleeding. "Let's go."

She went to swing away but was stopped by him clearing his throat. "I think you should probably get a ride from me."

Jess scowled and crossed her arms, "Just because you heard my sob story doesn't mean you get to treat me like you do every other female. I don't need a robot savior or whatever." she huffed, making him roll his eyes.

"You shouldn't be putting pressure on that shoulder and swinging building to building is definitely putting strain on it. I'm being considerate because you're a team member, not because you're a female. Grow up." Tony snorted, putting his arms out and bending his fingers back towards him in a 'come hither' way.

The brunette had a look on her face that looked suspiciously like a pout before she let out another huff and went to him uncertainly, giving him a small nod. Her arms shot up to grab him around the neck as he took off unexpectedly, making her gasp. They went higher than the buildings, higher than she had been on just her webs. Eventually, after the brief moment of surprise, she opened her eyes and started laughing, smiling even. For some reason, her laugh made Tony want to hear it over and over. "Okay, maybe I wanted the guys to be in awe that the Iron Man has tamed the frigid spider." He said in a slightly elevated voice, knowing she could hear him even over the wind.

Groaning, Jess reached in towards his face since he hadn't slid his face plate down and pinched his nose. "Stark, you're such a dick."

He swatted her hand away with a scowl. "I thought so, until I ran into that cat on the way out. Now _that_ beast is an asshole!"

That made Jess laugh all over again.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** Eeek! I was SO nervous to make Jess give her backstory so fast, originally it was only a week she had been on the team and I wasn't comfortable with it. I feel better after pushing it to a month and with Peter getting hurt, it seemed more believable that she would want Tony to trust her. PHEW! I actually have SO MUCH MUSE and am banging out chapters a day. I see you 3 followers! Heyyyyy! I honestly wasn't sure I'd get any followers or reviews, and I was okay with that! This story was more for me and my muse and avoiding writing my story don't judge me so when I came on and saw I had followers?! Guys. Blown away. It means SOOOO much. Next chapter will be with the Avengers actually working together so here we gooo! (Alsoooo maybe Nat and Bucky come in soon?! Who knowssss~)

**Disclaimer:** As always, I have to bring up the sad reminder that I don't own anything Marvel, comic or MCU based. Just the crazy in my head.

* * *

As they landed on the ledge of the roof, Jess began squirming around in Tony's arms, scowling as he kept his arms around her. "Alright, Stark. Put me down... and if you mention our conversation to anyone, I'll do things to you that'll make you wish you were dead." Her voice was cold, but her eyes were a bit warmer.

Tony smirked and let her down, keeping an arm around her. "I don't know... sounds kind of kinky to me. So, tell them?"

Jess bit back a growl, instead smiling deviously and running a hand down his cheek, pulling him closer to her before shoving him away and off the building. Turning to sashay her way back to the door, she sighed dramatically as she heard his accelerators landing him behind her. "Damn... well, had to try."

"You pushed me off a building! You're crazy!" Yet his voice sounded playful, almost impressed.

"Ohh, don't be a big baby. You can fucking fly!" Jess snapped, throwing her good arm up in exasperation. Mask in hand, she tried to protest as Tony led her back to the medical wing in his normal clothes, hand on her lower back. The contact still making her tense up at first but she didn't push him away. Bruce and Steve turned, surprised to see that Tony was leading Jess back through the sliding doors.

"She listened to your 'take it easy' advice for all of two minutes." Tony said in a singsong voice as he threw her under the bus.

Opening her mouth to spew a counter attack, Jess closed her mouth with a sigh. "Yeah... yeah, he's right... for once." She mumbled the last part, having the decency to at least feel bad about already messing up Dr. Banner's handiwork and look a little guilty.

Bruce shook his head, getting the awful feeling that they had a Tony 2.0 on their hands when it came to following directions. "Come on, I'll stitch you back up. But I'm putting you in a sling."

"Ooooh, like a dog that has to wear the cone of shame. Good going, Drew." Tony taunted, turning away and snickering until he was pulled back just slightly by his shirt. It caught him off guard, enough to make him splutter a bit and whip around to glare at the woman who still stood by Bruce. Her look made it seem like she was confused, putting a hand up in question before letting Bruce sit her down, a hidden smile as she tried to cover her web slinger. As Bruce went about grabbing the needed utensils, Steve leaned against the counter next to her, the look he gave her making her realize she was in trouble.

"Jess... the suit. You were going after them. Alone. What were you thinking?"

Jess looked away from him, feeling like a puppy who was getting scolded. "I just wanted to find them... to hurt them."

"I get it... really, I do. I don't know if you've caught on yet, but I tend to care about people. Maybe I go a little over the top-" he ignored the laugh from Tony, "but what I feel is intense and real. I understand wanting to take care of your people, I feel that way everyday. But you need to talk to us. We're supposed to be a team. If you can't communicate with us, we'll never be a real team."

"You would've talked me out of it..." Her voice was small, knowing even to her own ears that the defense sounded weak.

"Exactly. You were hurt, you had both been attacked. All of us would've told you not to do it... well... Let me reiterate; if you're ever wanting to get revenge or go off on your own, talk to anyone besides Tony." Steve said honestly, shrugging as Tony glared at him. "What? You're saying you wouldn't have gone after them?"

Tony kept his thoughts to himself, pissed that the Spar Spangled Man with a Plan was right.

"I know you've been on your own for a long time, but you're not alone anymore. You have us. I know you might not believe that myself and the others care about you, but I do. And I am the worst at lying, ask Tony or Bruce." They both nodded in agreement. He was the worst liar. "I care about you and if you don't care or don't feel like a part of the team yet, that's okay. I do and you are. Why don't we all start acting like a team? Natasha will be back sometime this week along with Bucky."

Jess watched him before nodding in agreement, not sure how she felt about being a part of a team still, but trusting him when he said he cared about her. She had been trained to know when people were lying, and he certainly wasn't. Smiling and thanking Bruce as he moved away after stitching her back up, she let him put her arm in a sling before sliding off the bed. Of course, Steve had a hand around her elbow to assist her. She was past having it offend her since she was pretty sure it was embedded in his DNA to help. "Let's get you to your new room." He didn't ask if she was staying and for once, Jess didn't protest. It wasn't like she was going to go back to her apartment.

"I need to do something before that..." She gestured with her good arm towards where she had last seen Peter being taken. He smiled and nodded, jerking his head towards the right room. Looking at Tony who rolled his eyes but gave her a small, encouraging smile, the brunette walked towards the room and knocked before going in.

* * *

"Miss Drew! You came back." The happiness in his voice made her heart thaw a little bit more. It seemed whenever she was around the boy, he managed to find a chink in her armor.

"I just had to grab something at the apartment, kid. I wouldn't have left without saying good-bye... you would've just tracked me down. Again." she teased with him, the tiny white lie coming naturally to her. She found herself hesitating at the door as she saw a woman sitting by his bed who stood up and walked towards her. Jess' first instinct was to defend herself, but she told herself this has to be Peter's aunt. She stayed in her spot, thinking the woman was probably pissed off at her for getting her nephew shot.

Before she could blink, the taller woman's arms were wrapped around her in a hug as Jess stood with wide eyes, looking over her shoulder at Peter. Confused. Peter had a huge grin on his face as he mimicked hugging in the air and then pointed to May. Slowly and uncertainly, Jess brought her good arm up and let her hand rest (barely) on the woman's back, not sure why or how, but realizing she was hugging someone for the first time in decades. "Peter told me how you saved him. He also told me how he didn't listen which made me want to ground him for life, right Peter?" Peter groaned in embarrassment, mumbling that he wasn't a child misbehaving in class.

Jess let her hand fall down quickly and shuffled backwards, not sure how to respond to the nicest thank you (and one of the only ones she could remember), deciding on an awkward smile and shrug. "Part of the job, ma'am. And, I'm not sure if you realize, but Peter... Peter's a special kid. It was my pleasure helping him." The way Peter was looking at her, almost like he looked at Tony, made a warm feeling spread through her body. May smiled and agreed, looking back at her nephew before squeezing Jess' hand with another 'thank you' before excusing herself from the room. Looking at the chair the other woman' had sat in, Jess made a noise of protest and climbed into the bed next to him, making him laugh as she grunted and groaned. She had never seen a hospital bed that was a queen sized... then again, it was Tony. Always over the top. Jess leaned back with a groan, looking over at the kid. "I'm getting too old for this, kid." she teased. "You doing okay?"

Peter smiled at her and nodded. "I'm fine. I'm sorry, Jess... if it wasn't for me you wouldn't have been shot." The boy actually looked distraught which made her feel like shit, even if she had wanted to shake him at first for not listening to her.

"Don't be sorry. If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't have been shot. Guess we're even." Jess settled into the bed further. "Doc say when you're able to be sprung?" she asked, realizing how tired she really was.

"Probably next week, just to be safe. I told her we heal faster than that and that I'll be back to normal in no time, but she didn't want to hear it. Neither did Aunt May, or Mr. Stark." He flipped through the channels with a sigh, shrugging.

"Better to be safe than sorry, right? Didn't you say you wanted me to watch Space Wars or something? Maybe we could watch them together. Steve and Bruce benched me for the next few days." she grumbled, still not happy with that decision but not wanting to push too much.

"Star Wars." He corrected with a laugh, making her smirk a bit and roll her eyes. "I'm surprised they got you to wear that thing. Hey FRIDAY? Can you play Star Wars? I forgot she's like Alexa! We don't even need the remote, how crazy?"

Instead of explaining the whole situation of how she had gone from free bird to collared bird, she just sighed and read as words started scrolling up the tv. "Guess I'm trying not to be so combative. We're supposed to be a team, right? Who is Alexa?" Jess furrowed her brow as she read, not sure if that was someone she had met yet or not.

"A family, not a team." He ignored the question about Alexa with a smile as he concentrated on the movie.

Looking at him out of the corner of her eye, she swallowed the lump of absolute adoration she had for the kid, wondering how he got people that normally were selfish and jerks to like him. "...Yeah... a family..." she said quietly, unable to stop the smile on her face as the first scene came on the tv.

By the time Tony walked in not even twenty minutes later to check on her and escort her to her new room, they were both out like a light. Dr. Cho had come and let them know that Jess was cleared to leave the medical wing for the night after telling her the only way she could leave was if she gave her some of the pain killers she had given to Peter. Apparently, it had helped to knock her out. Even Tony couldn't deny how oddly adorable they looked, Jess using Peter's shoulder as a pillow while Peter snored lightly. Rolling his eyes with a smile, Tony walked over and as gently as he could, picked up the woman in his arms, doing his best not to jostle her hurt arm. Seeing Peter stir and open his eyes, Tony paused. "Where are you taking her, Mr. Stark?" He felt like the parent who takes the teddy bear while the kid is sleeping to wash it.

"Don't worry, she's not going anywhere, kid. Taking her to her room so you can both rest. If you need something, tell FRIDAY to get me okay?" he whispered, nodding as Peter mumbled his agreement.

It was strange, looking down at the woman in his arms and seeing her so peaceful. While she had so far been pretty quiet around everyone but Peter, her face was always so serious, no real expression showing. But while she was asleep, there was almost a serenity about her that he was certain would never show on her face while awake. Putting her in the empty wing on the same floor just made sense, he told himself. It was the only empty one besides Bucky, and she didn't even know him. It had nothing to do with the fact that he was extremely attracted to her and liked their arguing. There was something about her... beneath the cold front, tucked behind some concrete walls... she was just like him. An orphan, forced to be selfish for her own preservation. While she hid it by shutting off her emotions, he hid his by being a loud, know it all asshole. It was why they clashed, but also why he felt something there. Something he never had, and wasn't sure he wanted to.

"I don't like being carried, can walk. Not paralyzed." Her voice was almost melodic, though it startled him since he had been sure she was dead to the world. Realizing that she was not truly awake, he couldn't help but smirk at her words.

"I know you're not paralyzed, Drew. You're just drugged to high hell so shut up and let me help you." Tony grunted, pulling her closer as he made it to the room. Going to the bed, he set her down, sighing as he realized sleeping in her suit probably wasn't the most comfortable option. "Drew... can you wake up long enough to get your suit off...?" He sat down on the bed next to her, not getting much of a response besides a hum noise, her eyes still shut. "Screw it. You can beat me up tomorrow." Taking off the sling gently, he managed to peel the suit off the small female, telling himself to be good as she laid in her under garments. Clearing his throat, he tossed the suit to the ground and covered her up with the blanket. He let his eyes scan over her face, smiling despite himself. "Good night, Jess.." He went to leave but felt a gentle tug on his hand.

"Stark..." her voice was a whine, quiet enough that he had to bend down closer to her face to hear her. "Don't let her drug me again... I feel like a cloud." she groaned, making Tony stifle back his laughter, a hand to his mouth as he nodded.

"Okay, Drew. Get some sleep, okay?" He went to straighten back up but froze as a small hand reached up and cupped his face.

"I see you, Tony. You hide, but I see you..." Her eyes fluttered before closing completely, and just like that, she was out again.

Tony's heart was racing as he straightened up slowly, still feeling the warmth of her hand on his face. What... had just happened? He picked up her suit off the floor, planning on some improvements for it like he had with the rest of the team but too wrapped up in replaying the moment to really focus on the suit. The lights turned off as he closed the door, back against it as he ran a hand through his hair. What was she doing to him?

* * *

_"Trust no one." "Stay sharp." "Know your surroundings." "TRY HARDER, ARACHNE." "If you did it right the first time, you wouldn't be punished." _The memories turned into nightmares that had her tossing and turning, unable to wake up._ "Shoot him..." **"But... what did he do?" **"You were told to shoot him, the reason does not matter... shoot him. SHOOT HIM." _

The nightmare was so vivid, making her relive the time she hadn't shot an innocent man and they had shocked and brainwashed her again. She shot up, yelling and looking around, images in her mind of her going straight from the room after the session and going to the man that was tied to a chair, shooting him in the head without blinking. She held her head as she stumbled out of the bed, trying to get her bearings but not recognizing the room at all. She had never seen it before. All she remembered was Peter... All she saw was red. Looking for a weapon, she was snarling by the time Steve and Bruce came bursting through the doors. They had been on the common level, Steve unable to sleep and Banner who was a night owl, talking about when the other two assassins would be back when Steve heard her screaming with his enhanced hearing.

"Jess? What's wrong?!" Bruce shouted, trying to be heard over her yelling, walking over and grabbing her hand that was covering her face, trying to tug it away gently. she was only dressed in her underwear and bra, in any other situation both him and Steve would be blushing, but they were too worried to care. She moved, lightning fast, grabbing his arm and twisting it behind his back, "Где я? Где мальчик ?!" (Where am I?! Where is the boy?) she shouted in Russian. Steve stepped forward quickly, knowing what was happening the moment she had grabbed Bruce. He had dealt with this when Bucky had first moved in, for several months really.

"It wasn't real, Jess... you're awake now. You're safe. You're not there." He tried reasoning, grabbing the girl's arm and prying her off the scientist.

Striking out to try to hit him, Steve brought his arm up to block her, not wanting to fight the disorientated woman. "Скажи мне, где он, или я тебя всех убью!" (Tell me where he is, or I'll kill you all.) She shouted again, both Bruce and Steve looking at each other but neither knowing Russian. Besides Thor, they were the only ones who didn't know the language. The others were fluent. Natasha, Clint, Bucky-

"FRIDAY! Get Tony, please. Tell him it's urgent." Bruce said to the AI system as the Captain grabbed Jess by her arms, trying to calm her by making gentle noises and talking quietly to her but she had gone from pissed off to flat out panic once he grabbed her. Yelling the same thing over again in Russian as she tried to pull free of the man holding her, trying to head butt him but failing.

"No need to shout, FRIDAY. I'm her- what is going on?" He snapped, walking into Jess' room and seeing his co-leader holding onto the girl for dear life as she screamed in pure terror. He had just left her it seems and she had been peacefully asleep.

"We don't speak Russian, and apparently she doesn't want to speak in English." Steve grunted, catching a blow to the side of the face as her hand slipped from his grasp.

Walking forward, Tony grabbed the woman's fist in his hand. "Девушка, что не так?" (Girl, what's wrong?) he asked her, letting her pull away but grabbing her again when she went to strike him.

"мальчик, мальчик ушел." (Boy... boy is gone) Jess groaned, squeezing her eyes shut as she tried again to get free with less strength.

"мальчик в безопасности. ты спас его. Джесс, успокойся." (the boy is safe. you saved him. Jess, calm down.) Tony soothed, reaching forward and gesturing for Steve to let her go. He caught her before she could flit away, holding her to him securely, but not suffocating her. "спокойствие, кекс ... это был сон." (Calm, cupcake... it was a dream.) The young lady was shaking as she took deep breaths, her face against his chest as she started blinking, realizing where she was.

"... Stark?" she whispered, almost fearfully as she pushed the rest of the haze from her mind.

"Yeah. You almost released the big guy and took out Capsicle..." he said jokingly, letting out the breath he had been holding, wrapping the sheet around her that Steve had laid across her shoulders. "I think you were right about the no more drugs policy.."

Jess turned to look at Steve and Bruce, pushing a shaky hand through her hair. "I'm... I'm so sorry. I haven't been in that deep of a sleep in well, a long time. It must've triggered an episode. I am so embarrassed, I don't know what to say. I didn't hurt you did I?" The woman was so visibly distraught, and all Steve could think was _finally. _Finally she was trusting them enough to show some emotions.

"We're fine. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I just woke up and didn't remember getting here and I've never seen the place... the last thing I remembered was being with Peter so I guess that triggered it all. I'm so sorry." She hid her face as she tried to lower her heart rate, not telling them about the memory and revealing another reason why she was so upset. She had given too much of herself in too short of a span of time. She was mentally exhausted, but couldn't see herself going back to sleep."Thank you for stopping me. I'm alright." Jess reassured them, still worried she had hurt them. Bruce smiled as best he could, patted her arm and bid her good night. Steve looked between her and Tony before nodding and leaving as well.

"You sure you don't want me to stay in here while you sleep, Drew?" He said it jokingly... though he knew he would if she wanted him to. He thought for a moment she would agree since she hesitated but she ended up smiling tightly and shaking her head.

"I just need to be alone... Peter is alright?" Her eyes connected with his and once he nodded shortly, she nodded back. "Thank you, Stark."

He gave her another once over before holding back a sigh and nodding, glancing at her before closing the door.

Jess backed up until she was sitting on the bed, sliding the sling back on with a wince, seeing that one of the sutures had come loose (again) but refusing to mention it. It wasn't bleeding and she healed so fast that she would forget about it by morning. Putting the sling back on, she laid down on the bed and proceeded to stare at the ceiling for the next four hours. Feeling uneasy as she realized that all three men had seen her at her worst... and it made her feel absolutely small.

* * *

**A/N:** I know, I know. Per comics, Captain America knows Russian. Wellllll, now he don't! Poof!


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: **Ok, I'm a sucker for drama. Sue me. Who wants to read a boring no conflict story?! Not I! And I definitely don't want to write one. Nat comes in this chapter, Bucky and Clint next. Bucky, I'm going to make it a bit more drawn out since he was in HYDRA, too. He knows it would be just like them to send in someone as a mole and them seem as genuine as Jess. Soooo... hopefully Bucky fans don't hate me for making him too standoffish!

**Disclaimer:** I no own nuffing. I is not worthy of owning Marvel or MCU.

* * *

"Are you alright, Lady Drew?"

Jess raised her eyes up from the coffee where she sat at the huge kitchen table, hair up in a messy bun with a knee pulled up to her chest and her chin resting on her knee. Scowling, she looked away from the large man, still embarrassed that everyone had heard her a few nights prior. She hoped Peter had been passed out and hadn't heard but she hadn't asked. "You can call me Jess, Thor, God of Lightening." she teased halfheartedly, mug dangling lazily by her finger tips as Thor chuckled.

"Jess then. You didn't answer, though. What bothers you?" He asked, sitting down in a seat across from her, letting his gaze pass over her face.

At first she didn't answer, instead focusing on the thread that was loose on the hoodie that semi drowned her she had found, assuming it was Peter's since it had some up and coming band on the front. Of course, she realized that not only did Peter not give up, _none _of the Avengers did. Which, you know, was great for fights! Not so great when she wanted to hide under a rock and die of shame. "Besides half the team seeing me in my underwear while I screeched like someone was killing me and punched Captain America in the face...? Nothing." Jess mumbled darkly, pulling both of her knees to her chest after setting the coffee down.

For some reason, she assumed Thor would be one that would feel awkward with deep conversations and wouldn't really say much more after her statement. But there was a understanding, patient look in his eyes as he looked as though he was truly contemplating her statement. "Well... they are men... so something tells me the undergarment part did not bother them as you think it did." He started, catching Jess off guard at how serious the answer was, causing her to burst out in laughter and hide her face in her knees. He seemed concerned before he started laughing as well and smiling at her. "As for the screeching... I think everybody here has been plagued with nightmares of memories past at one point in time, since someone has tried to kill each of us. Do not fret, no one is judging you harshly or will remember."

The laughter had vibrated down the hall as Tony walked towards the kitchen, surprised to hear Jess laughing. The green monster reared its ugly head inside him as he realized it was Thor making her laugh. He paused as she started talking, knowing he shouldn't be spying but unable to stop himself.

"That's the thing, Thor. _I _am judging myself. For almost a decade, I was in a terrorist group. To show emotions was weakness. To think about anyone else was foolish. I understand I'm not there anymore.. But part of my mind doesn't. What if my mind never catches us? What if I accidentally hurt someone, really hurt someone? I'm not pure like Peter... or caring like Bruce. No one is as loyal as Steve, or as strong and true as you, and no one puts themselves in danger if they have no physical powers, except for Tony who is willing to sacrifice himself for others. I don't see myself as an Avenger, I just see what I can't look past. I'm... I'm damaged."

Her words were raw and real, obvious that it was honestly how she felt. "I don't even know who I really am. I'm just- just Jess. And even that I just found out months ago." Stepping out from behind the wall, Tony walked across the kitchen and cleared his throat, hands in his pockets as he strolled over to the coffee maker. Thor looked up at Tony and gave a small greeting, while Jess refused to look at him.

Pouring a cup of coffee, he turned to look at the two at the table and crossed his arms as he waited for the coffee to cool down. "Well, Just Jess... you know who I think you are?" Thor looked warily at the other man, not realizing that Tony was probably the person she was closest to besides Peter. Walking over to her, he looked down and waited until she looked in his eyes. "I think you're a survivor." He said simply, but the words were powerful, even to Thor who nodded his head heavily. "... Or you were, until you decided to wear my hoodie. Where did you find that?!" Tony huffed, pulling on the hood gently.

She couldn't keep the smile from her mouth as she pushed him away playfully, letting her mouth drop open in mock shock. "_The _Tony Stark likes a new age pop band...? I thought this was Peter's!" she teased, smirking and ducking away from his swatting hands. Realizing the moment was over, which was very Tony-esque. It instantly had Jess feeling more comfortable, glad the serious talk was gone. Thor chuckled as the two started bickering back and forth more and left the room after squeezing her uninjured shoulder and thumping Tony on the back.

"Take it off!" Tony whined, following after her and pulling on the bottom of it, making her laugh and twirl away from him.

"No! You'll just have to wait! I don't have a shirt on under this!" Jess tossed back at him, her brows furrowing as Tony's eyebrows shot up, his face lit up with mischief as she put the island counter between them and stared at him. "You stop while you're ahead, Tony Stark." she warned, pointing at him as he braced his hands on the counter, smile wide and devious. Her eyes widened as he launched himself across the counter, making her gasp and dodge away from him. "No, Stark!" She ran around the counter, kicking as he grabbed her by the waist and picked her up. "No, no, no! Tony!" she screamed with a laugh, kicking her feet gently and trying to wiggle free. "Stop!"

"What? Is the big, bad assassin ticklish?!" Tony taunted, moving out of the kitchen towards the living room with her still in his grasp, ghosting his fingers over her side.

Jess growled and grunted as she squirmed around, acting like she was going to bite him. Tony shook his head and put her down facing him. Backing her up until she was pressed against the wall, bringing her arms up and with one hand holding both her wrists, Tony pinned her to the wall. Of course, they both knew she could get away if she wanted to, she was stronger than him whether he would admit that out loud or not. His hold was gentle, knowing her shoulder had just started feeling normal again. "Give me... the hoodie." he panted a bit, realizing she was breathing heavily, too.

Jess' chest rose and fell in tandem with his as their eyes locked on each other's, his other hand squeezing her hip. "... make me..." Her voice was huskier than normal as her heart hammered against her rib cage and she dared him with a raised eyebrow. As he started to lean forward, lips almost to her's, pulling her hips towards his, the moment was shattered in an instant at someone coughing. He was backing up already when she started pushing him away, clearing her own throat and stepping away from the wall to look at the red headed woman who stood with her arms crossed.

"We have a mission." She sashayed her way over, her hips moving back and forth as she stopped closer to them. Eyeing the newest member of the team, Nat let her eyes shift to Tony, hiding a smirk as she looked between them. "Someone has been drugging women and kidnapping them, Fury and SHIELD think for the sex trade. Sending them over seas."

Now that, that made Jess angry. "What do we need to do?" she said, suddenly serious as they started walking back towards the kitchen to get ready.

"How do you feel about shopping?" Nat asked, winking at the woman and smiling. "Meet back here in ten minutes and we'll go." Nat waited for the others to nod before they got in the elevator and rode up with Natasha, getting off together on their floor. "Natasha, by the way. Nice to meet you, Jessica." Nodding (they seemed to do that a lot, too), Natasha let the doors close and was whisked away.

Walking towards her room, her face back to being serious, she was surprised to feel a tug on her hood. Turning her head, she held her breath as Tony leaned down and let his lips barely touch the shell of her ear. "Don't think you got away with that. I'll be getting my hoodie back later, Drew..."

Swallowing, Jess hurried into her room, closing the door. Thinking she'd have to look for her suit, she was surprised to one on the bed. Walking over to it, she couldn't help but smirk as she picked up the note in one hand and the suit in the other. She had to admit... the suit was badass. Red with a black almost cracked looking design all over it, the black spider emblem on the chest and the back. _"Red and yellow is my thing... my gift to you, Avenger." _

* * *

"Look, I know we just met. I know we both have had the same things ingrained into us and trust is just a foreign five letter word... but we have to get past it." It was hard for the assassin who had always been taught to not show feelings and to trust no one to say the words out loud, especially to someone she hardly knew. But, part of being an Avenger was trusting that the others had your back. It had taken her years to form the close bond she had with Steve, even more years to find the way Tony was to be charming instead of annoying. Bruce, even longer to trust the woman who had been the one to drag him back. It wasn't something that they could try and be done with, it was something that they had to made work. She was planning to give the speech to Bucky and Clint when they were back in regards to the new woman.

Jess looked up as the other walked from the dressing room in a killer black dress. She balanced as she leaned over to tighten the strap of her stiletto heels. Standing up and going to Natasha, Jess gestured for her to spin and smiled a bit as she turned and let her zip the dress. "You look sexy." She wasn't used to girl time, and she was assuming living with a house full of men, Natasha wasn't either. "... And I agree. I know I have a long way to go before any of you actually trust me or like me, but I am okay with proving myself." Jess said firmly, her voice filled with determination.

Looking into the mirror so they could see each other, Tasha smirked and crossed her arms. "Yeah... I think at least one of us definitely likes you, Jessica..." Her voice was almost a purr as she hinted back to what she had walked in on in the living room. As it was her time to occupy the dressing room, Jess was glad her face was covered as she too remembered what had happened.

"If we're going to trust each other, please. Call me Jess. When I hear Jessica I look for my dead parents." She peeked her head over the top of the dressing room door, just tall enough to see her if she stood on her tip toes.

"Fair... call me Nat."

Jess found her gaze wandering across the store to Tony who was standing around, bag already on his arm, looking around the store as he waited for the two women. Stepping out after she had finally shimmied into the skin tight red dress, Jess put her arms out in a 'surprise' motion, not needing help. The dress didn't have room for a zipper, she had thought to herself. Another pair of black heels in her hands, Nat smiled like the cat with a feather hanging from it's mouth. "Oh yeah, he'll definitely be trying to roofie you." She put the shoes on the chair next to her and stood in front of her, face to face with each other for the first time in the limited space. "I know this is cliche and as another lethal woman it might not mean much, but if you do betray us..." Nat took a moment to glance back at Tony who was frowning as he saw the encounter between the two, "I will kill you... Tony has been through enough." Turning back around, Nat smiled at her. "I do enjoy seeing someone put him in his place, though." Jess couldn't help but smile and laugh, though her words rang in her ears and she had to admit, while she didn't scare easily, she could admit the Russian assassin was intimidating.

* * *

**A/N:** If you image search 'spiderwoman black and red suit' that's what I took inspiration from.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:** Little bit of Avenger action! I am going to change the rating to M eventually just so I don't forget later on. I know I said Bucky this chapter, but he will be in the next, I'm sorry! Clint fit better.

**Disclaimer:** no owning Marvel/MCU make author sad.

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The club was packed. It was taking all of her training to not throw up from the smell and view of all the hot, sweaty bodies grinding against each other. Jess had been so young when she got her powers and got stuck in an incubation chamber and had been an assassin all of her adult life; this was all so _bizarre_ to her that people would act like animals. In public, even. It was like watching a train wreck, she couldn't look away. She tried to focus as she cleared her throat and scanned the bar, seeing one of the men they were there for. This was the one who did the hard work, actually drugging the women.

Seeing the man staring at her made her nauseous. Luckily, she was an expert at deception, and she ended up smiling and winking at the man instead of giving him the icy look she wanted to as he beckoned her over with a finger. In another life, he would be handsome. Knowing that he had slipped drugs in multiple women's drinks and left them for dead or kidnapped them made him hideous in her eyes.

Jess smiled and giggled softly as she walked up to the man and he instantly grabbed her by the hips, looking her over and leaning close to her. Yelling in her ear that he had bought her a drink and asking for her name, Jess did her best to look flattered instead of cringing at the volume of his voice. "Cheyenne." The lie came out smoothly, bringing the drink to her lips and taking a sip. Her enhanced immune system made regular doses of drugs and poisons irrelevant so it was easy to play the part of dumb girl taking a drink from a sweet talking stranger. What he didn't realize is while she was laughing at something that he said and grabbing his forearm with one hand, she was slipping something in his drink.

Letting him drag her towards the back of the club and into a small room, she acted like she was woozy for all of three seconds before grabbing him by the neck and slamming his head into the wall. "It's obvious why you drug women, you piece of shit. No one would fall for your disgusting act if you didn't." Pulling her web slinger from her clutch and pushing him into a chair, she spun the web until he was wrapped up and not going anywhere, spinning some onto his mouth and pushing the rolling chair away from her. "You sit here and think about what you've done, while I have a drink and think about all the fun things my friend is going to do to you." she purred as Nat walked into the room, smoothing her hair back before pulling her fist back and punching him in the face. "Don't go anywhere." the brunette mocked, though the man was unconscious.

Maybe the punch was overboard since the poison was going to keep him incapacitated for hours... oh well! She winked at Nat, "He's all your's." and left the room, making sure it was locked so no one would disturb them before finding her way back to the bar and sitting down. She could sense someone sitting down next to her, looking at them with a raised eyebrow. "Can I help you?"

"You look ravishing... would you believe me if I said that dress was mine and I needed you to take it off?" Jess couldn't help but smile and roll her eyes as he ordered a drink for her. The bartender tried to hand it to her, waiting for only a moment and realizing she wasn't going to take it. He placed it on the counter and left, leaving Tony frowning a bit. "What's wrong? I thought that was your drink of choice." Maybe Tony had recalled wrong?

Jess shifted uncomfortably, looking at him. "Don't laugh but... I don't like people handing me things. Truly, I don't like handing things to other people either. I guess it kind of stems from HYDRA and getting pulled towards people and beat up so often I just... don't... you're laughing at me." Jess groaned, picking up the drink and taking a sip (both as poison tester and because she wished that alcohol effected her like normal) before offering it to him.

Tony's laughter subsided as he turned to face her full on, remembering her words and realizing that she must trust him then, if she was offering it to him. "I'm laughing, you idiot, because I think you're Tony Stark from an alternate reality or something. Antonia Stark. First you steal my red and yellow, have the nerve to be an orphan like me, and you don't like people passing things to you." Jess' eyebrows were raised as she tried to see if he was joking, but it was obvious he was not. She went to put down the drink, thinking he wouldn't take it but before she could, he had taken it from her with just a bit of hesitation. "Let's not do that again." He shuddered, still not liking it but taking a pull of the drink.

If any of the team mates who were currently surrounding the building had seen, they would've been flabbergasted. It had taken him _months_ to do the same thing with the others, though truth be told he still preferred it being set down first.

_"Tony, Jess- look sharp. Coming through the front door is our guy." _

Not looking at the door at all, Jess waited a moment before casually looking at the bar tender and raising a finger to ask for another. Seeing the black haired man that they had all seen in a picture before splitting up, Jess realized he was coming right towards them. She was safe, no one even knew she was a part of the Avengers. Iron Man on the other hand...? Catching Tony's attention, she got closer to him. "Kiss me." she whispered urgently.

"What?"

"You're too noticeable, kiss me." She tried not to be upset about the shock in his voice and waited only a half a second before wrapping her hand around the back of his neck and pulling him into her. At first, it was a chaste, normal kiss. Until the shock wore off and Tony realized what was happening and holy SHIT. Drew was kissing him. She wrapped her arms around him as he deepened the kiss, making sure the back of his head was the only thing the target would see. Relaxing after he walked past, Jess took a moment to indulge in what was going on, closing her eyes and trying to ignore that it felt like it was instantly a hundred degrees hotter than it had been. Running a hand up her leg before caressing her curves and landing on the side of her neck, Tony let his tongue graze over the woman's bottom lip, causing her to gasp and let his tongue enter her mouth.

_"Stop trying to devour each other in public and pay attention!" _The sharp voice had obviously sounded in Tony's ear, too, as they both pulled away like they had been shocked. Breathing heavily, she realized how she had just been judging the people around her for doing the same thing... but this had been for an undercover mission! This was different! Yeah! She knew she was just telling herself that as an excuse, realizing how much raw passion had been in the kiss.

"_Aww Cap, don't act like we didn't kiss to make people not pay attention to us." _Nat's voice came through the tiny technology in her ear.

There was radio silence for a moment before Steve huffed. _"First, we didn't make out. Second, this is not the time! Jess, you're up. Remember, you're going to have to take the piece out of your ear in case they check you for bugs." _This part of the plan, Tony wasn't okay with. It left her completely vulnerable until she could give the signal. He knew he couldn't speak up now, not when everybody was ready and this guy was right in their grasp.

"Drew..." He grabbed her wrist gently before moving the hair from her face and taking the equipment out of her ear slyly. "Be careful."

Jess hesitated before nodding and smiling, disappearing into the crowd of dancing bodies and attempting to blend in by dancing as well. The man had two men with him, and they along with the man himself were all armed, she could tell even from a distance. Sitting in a booth that was obviously the VIP, Jess put on her drunk, horny girl disposition and made her way over to the booth. Stopping just short of it, she smiled and giggled as a girl started dancing with her, pushing back the voice in her mind that wanted the girl to stop touching her and instead worked on making the eye contact she made with the man as natural as possible.

She had him. She could tell with just one glance that he was watching her and thought she was easy money. Motioning for one of his thugs to come towards him, he waited until he leaned down to start talking. Jess continued swaying around but concentrated on listening to what he was saying. "The brunette in red, the one wearing those fuck me heels." Perfect.

Jess didn't bother looking at the man again, didn't have to. Like a spider, she laid in her web to wait, holding back the smile as someone grabbed her elbow. "Oui?" she asked in a perfect French accent, seeing the bodyguard as she faced him.

"My boss would like to meet you."

She giggled as she looked up to where he pointed, waving shyly and nodding to the man at her side. Following him over, making sure to trip a little on the way, she smiled at him.

"Well, hello gorgeous. What is a girl like you doing here?" His voice was smooth as he very obviously looked her up and down.

"Oh, I was here with my friends but they left me here a while ago. We're on vacation from France." The brunette bit her lip and let her eyes travel over his body now, the smile still on her face as he held his hand out and pulled her closer.

"Sir..." The second man cleared his throat to get his boss' attention. "We need to search her."

"Search me..? What did I do?"

"Oh, don't be upset, doll. It's just a precaution. I'm sort of an important person, this is just my security team."

Jess put her hand on her arm and nodded, looking at him. "Can... can we go somewhere not so public? I don't mind them searching me but if they are going to be touching me, I'd prefer it to be somewhere more... ah... private?" The woman giggled this time as she looked at him.

The shorter man leaned forward to speak to his boss again. "It'll be easier to take her if we take her somewhere less noticeable." he agreed quietly, though Jess of course heard everything.

The man in charge smiled and stood up, taking her by the hand and nodding. "Of course we can, doll face. Whatever you want. What's your name?"

Jess followed after him, trying to look like a puppy following it's owner which was obviously something that had to be learned by the woman. Jess wasn't really a follower. "Oh, forgive me. My name is Margot."

"Dominic. And these two are Smith and Thomas." 'Margot' giggled again and said hi to them, acting like she was looking at all the memorabilia on the walls as they walked towards the back of the club. "Margot... you said your friends just left you here? Won't they be looking for you?"

Teetering for a moment as they went around a corner to seem like she was already disorientated, she frowned and shook her head slowly. "No... they told me to just get an Uber back. I told them, I said, girls, I can not use my phone here in the States. Only WiFi. But they said I should be fine... no?" The French accent had been the easiest one for her to learn, maybe because she remembered again that she had learned as a young child being home schooled by her mother.

"Oh, yeah. Yeah... you'll get a ride, don't worry. Doll, I got to tell you... you're a beauty. Someone would pay good money for you."

Jess stopped as they did, tilting her head like she was confused. "My English, it isn't perfect. What do you mean, ah... pay good money for me?" Jess gasped as they shut the door that went to the alley they had led her out, jumping and backing away from them. "Oh... no! I... I have my bracelet, you can have it. It's gold!" She tried to make her eyes wide and scared, another expression that didn't come naturally to her.

"You see... I can sell you to a nice man across the pond and get a pretty penny for you. More than your little bracelet is worth. Now, the less you struggle, the less it'll hurt."

Jess let out a small sob as she saw tall man holding a gun, grabbing her bracelet like she was scared before instantly stopping the sobbing and letting her face go back to cold. "The British call the Atlantic ocean the pond, not the French, you ignorant fuck." she said in her normal, American voice, flicking her wrist so the bracelet turned into her web slinger. Courtesy of Tony, bless him. Using the web to pull the gun from the man's grasp, she caught it and cocked it, shooting the man in the head before turning to the second. An arrow flew out of no where and struck him in the chest, the gun falling from his hand. "Now, I have someone who would pay a pretty penny for you." she taunted, gun pointed at him after Nat came up behind Dominic and disarmed him.

Her instincts screamed at her, told her to pull the trigger and end the miserable man's life for everything he had done... but Steve saying her name almost like a warning reminded her that they were bringing him in alive for a reason. To find the other women. "I didn't even get to use my new suit! Ugh... You're either the luckiest son of a bitch... or the unluckiest." Jess growled, putting the stolen gun down and watching as Nat slammed the handle of her gun down onto the man's head to knock him out.

"Good job, team. Thor and I will meet Fury and hand over the two, then meet back at the Tower. Debriefing at 0800 hours."

First mission as an Avenger out of the way and she had to admit... there was a high that came with being on the good side. Who would've thought? Her eyes connected with Tony's as they started filing out, realizing he was looking at her with a... strange look. Frowning, she looked at him for another moment before following after Nat.

What was that about..?


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N:** If anyone has any one-shot requests or other couples you want to see in this one, def leave a review letting me know! Also, smut ahoy! Skip to the end if you don't like that.

**Disclaimer:** no owning Marvel/MCU make author sad.

* * *

"I don't like you."

Tony turned with an eyebrow raised, just about to pour himself a drink in his room. Eyes roaming over the small firecracker standing in front of him with her hands on her hips and a scowl on her face, he sat against the counter with his arms crossed. "Well, I don't like when people come into my room unannounced. That's life." he mocked, something lacking from his normally playful eyes as his smile was more of a grimace.

"I don't like you because somehow you make me want to know why you gave me that look. I don't like you because instead of ignoring it like I would anyone else, I've been pulling my hair out the last hour. I don't like that you make me care." Jess growled, crossing her own arms. If she was the type to pout, she was sure she would be stomping her foot right now at the man. It wasn't fair! She never asked for feelings and she never wanted this. One person, that was all the room available in her feelings bank; enough for caring about one person. That person was Peter. Yet, here she was. In his room. Trying not to meet his eyes as her brows stayed furrowed.

Instead of answering with a normal smart-ass remark, he sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "It's nothing."

Yeah. Okay. "You do realize I trained for a decade to know when someone is lying to me? What gives, Stark?"

Gritting his teeth, Tony set his jaw and turned from her, making himself a drink. "Just drop it."

"Stark, I swear-" Her saying his last name again made him slam down his glass.

"Stop! Jesus, Drew! Just... stop." Tony snapped, closing his eyes as he tried to conceal the words that were trying to fly out of his mouth. "You think you're the only one who doesn't like showing their feelings? You think _I _want to like someone that I'm not even sure likes me? I don't. That look was me realizing I care about you and realizing that I don't like it, either."

Jess was shocked at his words and the truth behind them. She stood still as she thought about his words, frowning a bit and watching as he walked towards her. "I don't know if you're acting, you're so good at it. You show zero emotion or feelings around anyone, then you get around a complete stranger and show more emotions than you've let me see in months."

"That's my job..." She straightened up and tilted her chin so she was looking at him with steely eyes when he stopped in front of her.

"How much of it is the job, Jess?" It always sent a little jolt through her when he called her by her first name and she was unsure why. "You call everyone else by their first name, even Natalie who you just met." He was so ruffled he said Natalie, like he always did as a joke since that was what she said her name was when they first met.

Jess' gaze softened as she realized the man needed reassurance, knowing that was not something he would admit to of course, but smiling gently as he scowled still. "You call me Drew all the time!... and I thought her name was Natasha?"

"It is. But that's not the point! I call the others by their last names. At least I'm fair!" He was circling now, wanting her to forget about the fact that he had admitted he liked her. Raising an eyebrow, she listened to him continue to ramble about last names and first with a fondness that even surprised her. "I even call you cupcake sometimes. That's very Jess specific. What's Tony specific? Huh?"

"What do you want? You want to be muffin? Or some other bakery item?" She could've stopped him sooner, but she let him go. She didn't want to show her hand, didn't want him to know all of her feelings, no matter how much she told herself to let him in, she could only manage to open the door wide enough to keep him with one foot in and one out.

"I don't want you to do it because you have to, I want you to do it because you want to!" Tony huffed, throwing his hands up causing her to roll her eyes. "I just want to know how you fee-"

Tony was cut off by Jess yanking his face down to her's by his tie and smashing her lips against his, ready for him to shut up and kiss her already. It didn't take him as long to catch up this time, his arms pulling her closer as he bent his neck and fervently kissed back. Pulling back from him, gasping and chest heaving, Jess looked up at him with lust in her eyes. "You're such an idiot..." Her voice was lower than normal, almost a purr. He couldn't help himself any longer. Grabbing her by the waist, he lifted her up so she could wrap her legs around him, hands on her ass as he walked her across the spacious apartment.

Her head was tilted to the side as she let out a moan, eyes closing as he kissed her neck. Starting at her ear, he peppered them down her neck towards her collar bone, nipping it lightly which made her inhale sharply and open her eyes. He stared up at her, his eyes alight with mischief as he smirked, capturing her lips again as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Take your fucking dress back, Tony." she hissed against his lips, hands reaching up to the back of his head and pulling his hair gently.

His hands were all over her, running down her sides until they stopped at the hem of her dress, kissing her slower this time but still firmly. He started raising her dress, inch by inch, painstakingly slow as his eyes analyzed her face. The more he saw of her feelings and facial expressions, the more he wanted to see. Tony's heart was thumping loudly in his chest as she raised her arms, smirking as if daring him to take it all the way off.

He pulled the dress off her in a fluid motion, tossing it over his back. The man tossed her on his bed, looking down at her with a look that made her squeeze her legs together and bite her lip at him. Reaching down, eyes still locked on her own, he lifted her leg so it was level with his chest. His fingers made quick work of the heel, letting her leg drop slowly and grabbing the other, doing the same. He moved forward a little so he was closer to the edge of the bed, running his hands up her legs as he spread them so she could wrap them around his waist. He placed a hand on each side of her, bending down and kissing her. "Are you sure? We don't have to." Voice husky, hair askew; he had never looked sexier to her.

Jess used her enhanced strength and tightened her legs around him to pull him onto the bed, flipping them so she was on top of him, straddling his lap. The new position was a surprise to Tony, who was used to women wanting him to be the one doing all the work. Leaning to kiss him again for a moment before moving so she was sitting straight up. Gazing up at her with only adoration, he made sure to etch every moment into his mind so he would remember the moment. Her lips already a bit swollen from the nips and kissing, hair a bit of a disaster, chest heaving as she looked down at him; she was beautiful.

"If you don't fuck me into next week, I'm going to go homicidal." Correction, she was sexy.

That was all the encouragement Tony needed. Bringing her back down to his lips, he felt her hand travel down his chest between them and fall on his belt. Nimble fingers loosened the belt before ripping it off as he had with her dress, unzipping his pants as she wiggled herself down his body so she was off his lap. Smirking as he let out a small moan as she started pulling his pants down with his boxers, a sly expression gracing her face. Jess was shocked as he grabbed her wrist, glaring at him. "If you want me to fuck you into next week avoiding murder, can't have you doing that. Not this time at least." he growled, holding her wrist still as he lifted his bottom half and let her take his pants off.

He pushed her off gently and moved so he was hovering above her almost naked body, her bra the only clothing left. Tony held himself above her, brushing gently against her entrance but not furthering his advances as he took another moment to drink her form in and kiss her while he could. Already, he was imagining one of them (if not both) pushing the other away again at some point. Might as well take it all in while they could.

Using a hand to push her hair out of her face, his heart clenching a bit as she turned her face and pressed it in his hand with her eyes closed in a rare, moment of affection. Passion filled the next kiss, so much so that she wasn't sure if she was moaning because of him pushing into her _finally_, or the tenderness of the moment. Gasping and wrapping her legs around him to push him deeper inside her, she caused him to inhale sharply as well, closing his eyes at the feeling of her clenched tight around his thick cock. "Fuck, cupcake. You're killing me." he groaned as she rose her hips up to meet his thrusts. There was nothing more dangerous than a woman who fucked you back.

Reaching underneath her so his hand was splayed across the middle of her back, using his other hand to skillfully unclasp her bra. Instantly, his mouth found her already hard nipple. He kept his thrusts as even as he could, though it was hard to concentrate on making it last when those sinful noises were escaping her lips. Her small hands had grabbed his shirt and started tugging on it, pulling away so she could take it off him. Jess traced the arc reactor on his chest in wonder, moaning again as he sank all the way into her. "Don't worry, the ticker won't stop." he grunted, pulling back out before slamming into her again.

Jess smirked deviously, "We can certainly try, though." That made Tony smirk back, eyebrow raised as his hand drifted down her stomach, thumb pressing against her sensitive nub, making her back arch as her body reacted to his touch.

"Come for me, baby." the dark haired man crooned, stroking her at the same rate he pushed into her again and again.

As she finally started seeing stars from clenching her eyes closed so hard she swore she would be blind as she started panting, feeling him grip her chin and tell her to look at him. Her eyes opened at his command, cumming at the same time their eyes connected. Tony gritted his teeth as he felt himself wanting to let go already at the feel of her contracting around him, but making himself hold back.

Jessica fucking Drew was going to be the death of him.

* * *

For almost two months, things seemed almost... quiet. They would bicker like they couldn't stand each other, and then they would have crazy, passionate sex. There was always a tangible spark between them that neither of them cared to admit out loud. Days turned into weeks which rolled into months. They kept to a pattern, something that made it easy for Jess to have a handle on. She went back to her room after they were done, sometimes right after they had fucked each other into ruins, occasionally after a shower, they would sometimes even talk for a few hours after before she would pull herself back to her room or he into his.

It worked. Until...

Something cold pressed against the side of his head made him wake with a start, eyes taking time to adjust. He realized someone was standing next to his bed pointing a gun at his head. "Куда ты меня привел?" (Where did you bring me?)

Tony swallowed, eyes set in a hard stare as he looked at Jess who was dressed only in one of his t-shirts. As much as it surprised him, he didn't let it hurt him. It was obvious by the almost glazed over look she was giving him that she was not fully awake. "Джесс ... ты дома. Это был кошмар." (Jess ... you're at home. It was a nightmare) he said firmly but in a soft voice, hoping like last time it would diffuse the situation quickly by speaking to her in Russian.

The sound of her cocking the gun made his blood run cold as he started to understand he was actually in danger. "Вранье! У меня нет дома!" (Lies! I have no home!) she snarled, Tony ready to try to wrestle the gun from her but unable to finish making the plan in his mind as she was tackled to the ground before he could react. "Слезть!" (Get off!) The billionaire sat up quickly and got out of bed, going to the side of the bed and seeing Bucky pinning his new lover to the ground.

"Террорист, ты думаешь, что сможешь обмануть нас?" (Terrorist, do you think you can fool us?) Bucky spat, punching her in the face, gun long forgotten across the room.

"Barnes! She had a nightmare, she's not well. She's one of us and you know it." Tony said to him, smacking his shoulder. "Does no one know how to knock around here?!" The words were meant to be lighthearted, but his adrenaline was still making his heart pound in his ears. It had been close... God, the woman literally was packing twenty-four seven it seemed.

Bucky had stopped hitting the woman, instead pinning her hands with his metal arm, glaring down at her as she spat more Russian curses at him. "That's what they want you to think, Stark."

Tony shook his head, kneeling down to run a hand down the side of her face that was scrunched up and red from Bucky's hits. That would hurt in the morning. "Drew... Jess..." he decided not to call her cupcake around the man. She was still struggling, though she wasn't fighting back quite as much. He said the only thing he could think of in the moment. "Красное и желтое - моя вещь, Дрю." (Red and yellow is my thing, Drew.)

It was like a switch had been flipped. Looking up at Bucky, she blinked in shock and tried to pull her arms free. "Who are you?" She noticed the metal arm, understanding who he was but still not knowing why. Her eyes wandered and landed on Tony, blinking rapidly as she tried to file through the events of the night, remembering the multiple rounds of, at times, rough sex. Letting him pull her back into bed with him after borrowing a shirt so they could talk, he had fallen asleep with his arm wrapped around her middle while she told herself she would leave in a few minute, thinking she wouldn't be able to fall asleep. Obviously, that hadn't happened.

Oh, no... "Get off me! ... Did I go mind controlled robot again..?" she whispered in horror, as Bucky hesitated for just a moment before releasing her and getting off her.

"It's okay, you didn't hurt anyone. In fact you're the one who will be in pain so-"

"Don't beat around the bush. I had a gun?" Her eyes had landed on the gun across the floor as she sat up, wrapping her arms around herself.

"Even your unconscious self can't bring itself to kill me, doll. Didn't even try to shoot me." he teased, shirtless but in plaid pajama pants as he tossed his hair with his hand. His smile faltered a bit at the look of horror on her face.

"It shouldn't have happened at all, Tony! How can you joke about this?! I could've killed you! A year ago, I would've shot you in the head! There wouldn't be the chance to diffuse me." Jess was breathing heavily as she jumped up, away from Bucky who had raised up cautiously, watching the woman. "No!" She threw her hands out in front of her when Tony started walking towards her, shaking her head. He saw fear in her eyes for the first time. "I'm dangerous. I shouldn't have stayed. This was-"

"Let me guess, a mistake?" Tony laughed bitterly, shaking his head. "I'll admit, I've never had a woman so much as complain after a night together, so the gun was a little... shocking. It's okay, Jess. We'll figure something out."

"This is not okay, Stark. Far from it."

"... So... back to closing me out?" This was not the way things were supposed to go.

"I... I just need to be alone. I need some time." Jess tried to walk backwards but there was a pain in her ankle that tripped her up. She must have twisted her ankle when the man had tackled her.

"What's going on?" Steve asked, bursting through the door of Tony's room, reaching out without having to think about it to catch the girl from falling. Again, she was in little clothing. At this point, he wasn't surprised, nor did he ask any questions about her state of undress. "Is everybody okay?"

Jess tried to walk past him but her ankle buckled again and she was pitched forward. Steve had already caught her by the elbow again and was frowning at her. "Let me help you, Jess."

Her body was tense, making Steve want to sigh with sadness as he took the tensing up as a sign that they were going backwards instead of improving. But he merely stayed silent, noting the way Tony was still as a statue staring at the ground and that Bucky was back from his undercover mission and in Tony's room for some reason. Eventually after what seemed like longer than the few seconds it really was, Jess nodded. "Can you help me to my room, Captain...?"

Steve crouched down a bit so the woman could throw an arm over his shoulders, knowing she wouldn't want to be carried. Looking at Tony one more time, she turned her head and stayed silent as she hopped out the floor with Steve.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer:** no owning Marvel/MCU make fanfic author sad.

* * *

"Miss Drew, are you avoiding Mr. Stark?" Peter asked, homework in front of him on his desk as they sat in Peter's room in the Tower. Even though he still lived with his Aunt May, Tony adored the boy and during breaks and some weekends, Peter had been staying in the Tower. Jess grunted in acknowledgement of his question, not answering and continuing to flip a knife in the air by the blade and catch it by the handle. "Why? You know Mr. Stark doesn't blame you." The boy shut his mouth quickly as he realized Jess was glaring at him.

"It doesn't matter if he blames me or not... I almost killed him." Why didn't any of them understand? She was just trying to keep everybody safe, especially Tony. "And for the last time, I'm not avoiding him! Stark just doesn't understand the meaning of space." Jess leaned back in the chair, digging the palms of her hands into her eyes as she groaned. It had been a month and for the most part, she had been able to avoid the billionaire without even trying. She had just got back with Clint on an undercover mission that had taken almost three weeks, and the week before she left the two hadn't spoken. It was... strange.

Even though she had only been an Avenger for around four months, it truly did make her feel like she was part of a family for the first time in fifty years. Even when her parents were alive, she never had an average family. Jess' eyes roamed over the form of the lanky kid, feeling bad that he was worried about her. "Pete, don't worry about me so much. You're going to get wrinkles in your forehead... you just focus on being a kid, alright? I heard winter break is coming up, got any plans?"

That seemed to make the boy perk up, smiling and talking animatedly about plans with his friends Ned and MJ. They were apparently going to go ice skating, see a new Star Wars movie (Jess had to admit, they were as good as he said), and a handful of other activities that made a small smile appear on her face. "Will you go with us to ice skate?" Jess hesitated, she had met the two kids and as far as kids went, they seemed okay. Ned overzealous anytime he was in the presence of a hero (god, the word still made her cringe when it was associated with her) and MJ more like her than not. Analyzing, calculating when to speak, obviously protective of Peter. Eventually, she had warmed up enough to stop glaring at Jess. The brunette had never ice skated, though. While she wasn't really one to turn away from a challenge, the fact that there would be a lot of people around made her more nervous than she'd like to admit.

One look at his hopeful face, she knew she was a goner. "Course I will. Only if you pay for me." Smirking, she reached over and grabbed him in a headlock playfully, messing his hair up and laughing as he used his super strength and pushed her away.

* * *

Oh, God. Why had she agreed to go with him? Holding onto the rink, unable to enjoy the beautiful lights and tree in the middle of the city, Jess was looking down with a scowl at the skates. Who the hell thought of things like this? She was agile, quick, could balance on a car door; but this, this was madness. She pulled herself along the wall, refusing to let go as she waved at Peter who was trying not to laugh. "Oh no, you go ahead! While I look like a newborn giraffe..." she muttered the last part, standing up straight and furrowing her brow in determination. "I am Jessica Drew. I can do this."

She let go of the wall and carefully started to move, grinning as she made it a few feet, looking over her shoulder to shout at Peter that ice skating was her bitch and upsetting her balance. Gasping as she fell backwards in what she was sure what a comical view, she closed her eyes and braced for an impact that never happened. Opening one eye, she looked up at the person who had caught her, swallowing as she saw that _of course_ it was Tony. "How can you take down men three times your size and shoot a moving target, but you can't ice skate Drew?" he mocked, pulling her up straight and hanging onto her even once she was up.

Jess' heart was beating wildly in her chest, realizing quickly how much she missed him. Not just the sex, she even missed the arguing. The witty comebacks. The laughter. Of course, her face didn't reveal much except a glare. "Because I'm not on blades that are a fourth of an inch long while doing any of that!... thank you." She was holding onto his arm as he held her, looking down at her in what she thought might be longing. As quickly as he held her was as quickly as he let her go, leaving her feeling slightly cold as he skated around her with ease. "How can you not tie your shoes without technology but you can ice skate?" She huffed and rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms, standing still on the ice.

"Don't be such a sore loser."

"It's not a competition. There's nothing to lose, how can I be a sore loser?"

Tony skated to her, throwing his skates to the side for a dramatic stop and leaning in to her, closer than he had been in weeks. She closed her eyes and held her breath. "There's everything to lose, Drew." What loaded words the man spoke. "Now, do you want me to help you or do you want to keep sucking?"

That made Jess open her eyes and look at him. She hated being bad at things. "... teach me." Jess bent her knee in surrender, knowing if she had longer than the short amount of time the kids would be here she would be able to master it. But time was so rarely on anyone's side.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you, what was that? You didn't say you need help, did you? You'll have to speak a little louder."

She hated him. Teeth grinding she looked at him, "Teach me." she growled at him, louder than before.

"That wasn't a very polite way to ask, was it?"

"Damn it, Stark. Teach me! ... Please." Jess had gone back to holding the wall, turning to look at him after the please.

Watching as he took pity on her after a moment, he reached forward and grabbed her dainty, gloved hand and pulled her backwards with him gently. "You're too tense, calm down. You look guns down the barrel with less fear than this."

"I'm not afraid." she snapped, though her hand squeezing Tony's tightly might've said otherwise. Letting him pull her around for a bit, not moving her feet at all, she found herself looking at him with her head tilted some, as if to get the whole picture. He was handsome, devastatingly so. Older than her in looks, small streaks of gray in his dark hair if the light caught it the right way. Strong arms, a sculpted body... why was he single? Why did he even bother with her? She wasn't even sure he liked her, really. Was pretty sure he just liked arguing with her and the sex. The sex was great.

"Take a picture, it lasts longer, Drew." Jess blinked, realizing she had been staring at him, but not understanding the saying.

"Why would I take a picture? I see you everyday." Her obvious confusion and lack of guiltiness made the man start laughing, smiling at her and shaking his head as they skated around. Jess didn't even realize that she was skating without falling or overthinking it, too wrapped up in watching him laugh and feeling something strange that she had never felt before.

"See? You're a natural. You just act like you're walking but with weird shoes on and-"

"I miss you."

The random, yet monumental, truth pouring out her lips in the middle of his sentence had him so surprised, he actually tripped as he hesitated in skating backwards. He fell, wrapping his arms around her after he noticed she was coming down with him, a loud 'oof' sounding from his mouth as he groaned on the ice. "Oh my god! Tony! Are you okay?! I'm sorry! I- I didn't mean for that to happen!" He was looking up at her with his eyes wide. "I just... I miss us arguing, I miss us laughing, I miss us joking around and well, the sex is great. I miss-" before she could finish 'you', his lips crashing into her's, arms wrapped around her back.

At first, she wanted to pull away. She had never kissed someone in public, let alone the middle of New York City... but her body thought differently. Letting him devour her, hands in her hair as she nipped his bottom lip, the primal need to mark him in front of everyone took over. He responded with a growl, pulling her hair a little harder. "Um... Mr- Mr. Stark... you might um, what I mean is, people might trip on you... and uh, oh hi Miss Drew... maybe, uh, maybe you should scoot over?" Their eyes connected, the moment over as Peter tried to interject as politely as he could. Bless him. He was blushing bright red and looking away from them as his two friends stood behind him, smirking and giggling.

"Shit." Jess mumbled, scrambling off the man, almost falling but letting Peter catch her hand.

He was trying to stop the smile that was on his face by biting his lip and holding Jess' hand. "We're ready to go back to the Tower if you guys are. My friends are sleeping over. Remember?"

Oh, Jesus. Is this how parents felt?! Getting chastised by the kid to remember not to make out or have loud sex while the kid and his friends were around. Had she really thought that...? Being a part of this team had made her soft, what was wrong with her?

Yet, watching Peter laugh with his friends and go to get their shoes, helping Tony up and seeing him smile at her like they had a secret together... the warmth encasing her body was so new and welcoming.

Once they all had their shoes back, Tony put his arms around Ned and MJ, leading them towards the limo while telling them about the time he saved a whole village. Rolling her eyes, Jess smiled as she walked in companionable silence with her young best friend. "I'd appreciate if you didn't tell the others about what you saw, Petey..." Not that she thought he was a gossip, but the boy could sometimes talk himself into a corner.

"Are you guys together?" The excitement in his eyes as he looked at her made her chuckle and shake her head.

"No... I don't think so. I don't think either of us is ready for that. We just... enjoy each other." Jess shrugged, not sure how else to explain fuck buddies with the boy.

"Umm... Jess, I think _everybody_ has heard you guys... 'enjoying' each other."

Jess looked at him in horror, groaning and putting an arm around Peter to mess his hair up in the way he hated, shaking her head. "No one has ever said anything! How do you know?!"

He had the decency to look slightly sheepish as he looked away from her. "Umm... super hearing... same with Steve. And Bucky..."

There was nothing more horrific than realizing like an idiot that of course the people with enhanced senses could hear them fucking. "Well, that's slightly horrible. I'm sorry you had to... That's umm... you've had the birds and the bees talk haven't you...?" Jess sighed as he groaned and nodded, telling her she didn't have to say anymore.

"I won't tell anyone still, Miss Drew. That's your business, and Mr. Stark's... but you did sort of kiss Ironman in front of hundreds of people. Someone was bound to take a picture. Miss Drew...?"

She had stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, frozen as she realized that the moment a picture hit the internet or tabloids, they would know where she was. "Let's... let's go."

* * *

"What are you doing?" Jess continued ripping clothes out of drawers, heart racing as she ignored the voice. Had to go, had to run. She had to get them away from her family. "Drew." She jumped at the hand on her elbow, whirling around to look at the man who had never truly gotten along with her.

"Let go, Barnes." It was a warning, one that he yielded to without her having to tug too much. She turned back around, not catching the frown on her face. "I'm leaving."

"Why...?"

"HYDRA. They're coming for me." Jess' voice was void of emotions, omitting any feelings on the matter and instead working on leaving.

"How do you know?" His voice held no suspicion. Though they had never really become friends, they were teammates after what seemed like forever. It had taken a lot for him to let his guard down enough to be comfortable around the other ex-HYDRA agent. Part of why it was so hard for him to trust her, he knew that HYDRA only enslaved people that they knew were powerful. Most of the people in HYDRA were there by choice, very few were forced to join like she had been.. like he had been.

She had paused for a moment at his question, not sure how to answer. "Was with Stark at that ice skating place in the city... someone might've taken a picture."

Bucky cocked an eyebrow. "Might've? You're doing all of this because someone might've taken a picture of you because Stark was around?" He didn't understand... sure, he was cautious. Didn't really trust his own shadow at times. But packing up your whole life on the slight chance that someone might've taken a picture? Seemed a little bit of an overkill.

"Someone took a picture." Jess huffed, still not explaining the kissing part. "Okay? They took a picture of us, and they'll see me with him and it won't take much to add two and two together."

"Drew... I think you're overreacting. This is the safest place to be, anyways."

"Not trying to keep me safe..."

Those were the last words he got from her, even after trying for a few minutes to get more from her. Slightly worried that they should be expecting HYDRA to burst through the ceiling, but also not sure anyone was truly coming, he did the only thing he could think of. "She won't listen to me." he explained to billionaire as they walked briskly from Tony's wing back to Jess'.

"Drew. What gives? Why is it you only threaten to shoot people or try to leave after you talk to me?" He tried to have a teasing tone to his voice, but in all honesty, he felt that. After every episode of her freak outs or her trying to leave, he was the only constant it seemed. The other variables changed but he was always involved somehow.

She didn't respond, only moved from her dresser to the closet, looking for her suit.

"I've got it, Barnes. Thank you."

Jess' mind was racing as she thought about where to go, thought of a way to make it so HYDRA would know she left so she could draw them away from the others. She was so deep in thought that she didn't notice Tony talking to her or coming closer until she felt a hand on her shoulder. Grabbing it out of instinct, she pivoted quickly so she was holding his arm behind his back. Realizing with a start what she had done, Jess dropped his arm like it had shocked her.

"Drew... stop. Drew." He grabbed her face before she could turn away, staring into her eyes and rubbing her cheeks with his thumbs. "Jess... hold on for a second. Talk to me... what's happening?"

"We kissed."

"You know, if I was anybody else other than the confident man that I am, that might bruise my ego a bit." he joked, pushing her hair out of her face, his smile fading a bit as he saw something he couldn't describe on her face. "Okay, I'll bite... we've kissed before, what's the problem?"

Jess squeezed her eyes shut and brought a hesitant hand up to his, letting him lace their fingers together. "We kissed in front of people... they're going to know." she whispered, opening her eyes and looking at him.

"So... the problem is you don't want people to think we're together? Got to admit, now my ego is a little bruised."

"Quit, Tony... no. The problem is _they _will know we're together. They'll know where I'm at, which means they'll come to get me. I can't let you all be in danger... and I won't go back with them." Her heart started beating faster again, the thought of being taken back by them making her start breathing harder. Adding onto the thought of them hurting the only people she cared about.

"Hey, hey... stop thinking like that. What brought this on?" Tony pulled her into him, holding her head as he hugged her tightly. He could feel the tenseness loosen a bit in her as he stroked her hair, surprised she was letting him comfort her. "Nobody is going to take you, alright? Have a little more faith in me than that, woman. This place is locked up pretty tight."

"You're in danger, Tony. And the kid... and all of you. I have to lead them away."

"No."

"You don't get it! If they come here, if they're trying to hurt you... I'll- I'll have to go back with them. I would give myself up before I let them hurt you. And I can't! I can't, Stark. I will put a bullet in my head the moment they take me." Her voice was almost a whimper as she tried to get him to understand, she was even shaking in anger at the thought of what they had done. "Promise me you'll shoot me yourself if you have to if they have me."

"Jess, breathe. Don't talk like that. No one is leaving, no one is going anywhere they don't want to go, and no one is shooting themselves. Okay?" It was far from okay, he could tell by the way she was trying to push away from him meekly.

"Promise me, Stark! Promise me you'll kill me before you let them take me back!" Her voice was frantic.

"Shh... I promise, alright? I won't let them take you... I won't let them. But, I'm falling for you, Drew. Damnit, I don't know how. Or why. Half the time you piss me off, but the other half... I can't stand when you're gone. I hate it when you're not talking to me. Half the time you act like you don't like me, and the other half we're fucking like the world is ending. I've never had a woman that I liked who was so hard to read and such a handful. But you're seven handfuls. And I _like _it."

Jess stepped back as he said how he felt, not sure how to deal with the emotions in the statement or the raw, glaring truth that Tony Stark was admitting that he might be falling in love with her. Jess felt the wall at her back as he walked forward, trapping her against the wall, his hands above her head as he looked down at her. "Even now, I'm pouring my heart out here and you're just staring at me like you're wondering what's for dinner. I have to know how you feel. No more bullshit, Drew. No more avoiding me, no more shutting me out. I need to know."

Jess stared up at him, the only sound after he was done talking being their breathing, which was louder than normal for both of them. "I... I don't know how I feel." she admitted quietly, frowning as he made a sound of exasperation.

"Of course-"

Jess put a hand over his mouth, staring him down. "Shut up. Just shut up. For two fucking minutes, just shut up. I don't know how I feel because I've never felt like this before. I've never felt the amount of feelings I've felt since getting here in my life. I never knew what it was like having someone blindly care for me like Peter did. Or having a friend like Nat and Clint and the rest of them. Then there's you." She kept her hand on his mouth, surprised that he stood there quietly, not making her move. "There's this thing that I feel when I'm with you. Anger, lust, happiness, annoyance... it's all just jumbled together and I don't know what to call it or what to do. I feel lost when I'm with you because you make me a different person than the one HYDRA made. You make me feel like..."

Tony removed her hand from his mouth, cradling her hand gently in his, holding it to his chest. "You?"

That felt right. "Yes. You make me feel like me."

"You make me feel like me, too... I think that's what us saps call love, cupcake."

Their eyes met briefly before he was tilting her chin to lay his lips on her's in a breathtakingly sweet kiss. It consumed her, consumed all the doubts and fear in her mind along with the thought of leaving. They were wrapped up in each other in milliseconds, his hands holding her up as her legs fit perfectly around his waist. It had been so long since they had touched like this. A gasp left her mouth as he ripped her shirt off, fumbling with the latch of her bra before deciding to just rip it off as well. She grabbed his face, lust filling her eyes as she kissed him slowly.

"We have to be quiet... Peter said we're too loud. You're laughing but it's only because you didn't have to be the one he said it to!" Jess protested as he laughed, swatting his arm.

She was being pressed into the bed after a whirlwind of clothes flying off of them both, moaning into his mouth as she felt every inch of him pushed into her. "Fuck, Tony." she whined, nails dragging across his back as her eyes rolled back in her head at how good it felt having him stroke by stroke fill her. For once, she didn't try to get on top. Liking the feeling of his weight on her, almost calming in a way. He had his hand wrapped in her hair, holding her head as he stared at her, growling as she made little mewling sounds that drove him crazy. Panting as her legs shook, she bit her lip to muffle her moan as she brought his lips onto her's once more, feeling him tense up as well before releasing into her. His forehead was pressed against her's as they looked into their eyes.

"I think I love you, Jessica Drew. I look at you... and I love you. You don't have to say it back, but I... I do." He kissed her forehead, rolling off her so his weight wouldn't crush her.

Jess stayed where she was, still as a statue for a moment as she processed everything. He... loved her? Maybe she wasn't ready to admit it but, she was sure she felt the same for him.

Tony opened his eyes when he felt her move, surprised to see her putting her head on his chest, arm wrapping around him. "Stay." she mumbled, the one word a huge breakthrough for them. She had never asked him to stay, they had never successfully slept together. "Maybe since we're in my room, I'll be okay... you should hide my guns just to be safe, though." Jess admitted, to which he laughed and agreed, squeezing her to him.

"Shit, I just realized we haven't used protection. At all." Tony looked down at her, worry in his eyes. How careless could they be? But the woman didn't look worried, in fact she looked... ashamed?

"Oh... I can't... you don't have to worry about that."

"Did they...?" He knew Nat had been sterilized by the KGB, wondering if they did the same thing.

"No... no. I'm immune to foreign bodies. That's what they found out after experimenting. Medicine, poison, apparently, uh, children, too." Not that Jess really wanted to be a mother. What a disaster that would be. She could hardly show emotions and had killed people for a decade. While they could've been lying, her and Jared had sex for years and never wore protection. If it was going to happen, wouldn't it already have happened?

They talked for hours, she didn't even know how long. He told her about Pepper, the CEO of his company that everyone had always assumed he had dated. They hadn't, in fact they hadn't even had sex. A date together and a kiss had made it obvious that they were better friends. He had been to her wedding earlier in the year, she was happy and busy running the company in California.

Jess told him about Jared and how she didn't really know if she had loved him. One day, he had told her he loved her and that was that. She hadn't really said it back, though she had told herself at that time she loved him.

They even swapped stories about being tortured. Tony when he had been kept in a cave, Jess when she was being vetted for HYDRA.

She fell asleep before him this time, this small thing curled up against him that he knew for certain he loved. Determined to hear the words from her mouth sooner or later, Tony fell asleep with his arm over her, content with holding her for as long as she would allow it.

* * *

**A/N:** Yeah, I'm sure some of you caught it. #noshame leave a review to comment how you feel or if you guys have requests for scenes, etc.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: **Just a cute in-between fluff chapter. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** as always, I don't own Marvel, MCU or any characters in this. I am not getting paid, no copyright, yada yada. (but, you know, if you need a writer, hit me up, Marvel ;D )

* * *

This time when Tony woke up, everything seemed... normal. There was no gun to his head, no screaming, no bad nightmare had woken him up. There was just peace and quiet. He stretched, realizing the sheets were not his own gray ones which meant he must still be in Jess' room. Reaching his arm out to the side, he frowned when he felt the space next to him was unoccupied. He didn't hear the shower running and the door to the bathroom was open, so she probably wasn't in there.

He had to admit, he was a bit worried. She had been about to leave, he word vomited on her that he loved her and they had fallen asleep together after the first disastrous time. His nerves calmed as he saw the bag she had started to pack still on the ground where it had been left. Tony stretched, putting his hands behind his head as he stared at the ceiling.

It was out there. He had said those three little words together. Honesty, he couldn't remember the last time he had said them. To Pepper, sure. She was his best friend, he did love her. But the words as an affirmation of affection and not of friendship...? Had he ever? Tony blinked, realizing that he too was fucking terrified. So much so, it was almost crippling for a moment. There was so much that could go wrong. She could realize she didn't love him, she could leave, she could get hurt or die, cheat on him. _That's life, _his inner thoughts smacked across his brain.

No matter what, any of that could happen. But did he truly love her?

He stood up, scowling as he realized the little minx had stolen his shirt. Again. The smile that graced his face made him put a tally on the side that said yes, he did love her. As he walked through her wing, he winced at the way she left her shoes and jacket out instead of putting them away. Tally for the not love side. She was distant and hard to reach at times, which also made it difficult to get through to her sometimes. Was that a tally?

As he walked down the hall and into the kitchen, his heart started beating loudly as he caught sight of her. Standing on her tippy toes, hands on the counter as Steve and Bucky stood on either side of her, food of all kinds spread out over the counter. She had his shirt on, and he was sure those little shorts that killed him were somewhere under it but his shirt was one of his comfy ones that was big on him; it drowned her. Her hair was pulled on top of her head in a perfectly messy bun, a grin on her face as she whisked something in a bowl, biting her tongue that stuck out a bit. Flour smeared across her face and the front of Steve.

"Thank you for helping me, guys. I'm not a cook and I didn't want to poison Stark, he'd think it was my plan the whole time." she mentioned, not noticing that he had walked into the kitchen.

"Or he'd be flattered that someone went to the effort to kill him." Bucky said, making her dissolve into giggles.

The giggles, the flour on her face, the fact that she woken up to try to cook him a breakfast (that he was sure would be awful because Steve was the worst at cooking) which made it sort of obvious they had a thing going if the shirt didn't tell them- the tallies on the 'not sure' side of if he loved her, disappeared. Looking at her, he was shocked by the amount of adoration he felt for the woman who was basically jumping in place from excitement about making pancakes.

"You should've asked Thor. He's the dark knight when it comes to cooking. Which is odd, especially since he's not from Earth, you'd think he wouldn't be able to cook."

Looking up, a grin spread across her face. She pushed her hair from her face, wiping more flour on her as she waved at him. "I didn't want to bother anyone, these two were already up. Between three of us, I'm sure it'll taste just fine!" The bacon getting charred to a crisp was basically crying out to him. Instead of teasing her like he normally would, he just smiled and walked up to her, using his thumb to wipe some of flour away.

"I'm sure it'll be great." he agreed, happy that she seemed comfortable with him touching her randomly. Finally... He leaned down a bit to kiss her softly, not realizing Steve was looking out of the corner of his eye with a small smile on his face.

"Alright, alright. Knock it off. The kitchen is for cooking, not kissing. Come on! I want food today." Bucky wasn't as much of a romantic as Steve was, obviously.

Jess smiled through the kiss and pulled back, putting her hand to her forehead in a salute and stealing one more kiss from the man in front of her before scurrying back over to other two. Yelping as Tony swatted her butt when she turned to walk away.

"We thought we smelled food!" Peter and the two other musketeers walked into the kitchen, yawning and sitting at the counter that had stools.

"It should be ready soon!" Jess said, turning back to the stove in time to see the gravy she had been making with the lid on basically make a noise that sounded like a small explosion. Eyes wide, she turned off the heat and held the lid down. Steve and Bucky were looking at each other before both of them turned to Jess in defeat. Sighing, she nodded. "Maybe... maybe we should just order food?" Jess mentioned sheepishly as the smell of burnt bacon filled the air.

Everyone mumbled agreements except for Clint who had just walked in after they had agreed. "God, that smells like shit. Who let Rogers cook again?" An oven mitt soared through the air and smacked him across the head. "Hey!" By the time Jess was going back towards her room, everyone was laughing, including Bruce, Nat, and Thor who had all arrived in the kitchen a little before Clint.

"On your 6, Drew." Jess turned as she walked down the hallway, straightening up and crossing her arms as he came to a stop, smiling at him.

"Shouldn't you be getting showered and dressed, Stark?" That was where she was going. Flour was all over her along with oil and God only knew what else. Her eyebrow raised as he smirked deviously at her, making her frown.

"Oh, I am. Just trying to get a little messier, first." He stalked towards her slowly, making her shake her head and back away.

"No, no! You stay away from me, Mr. Stark. I need to get dressed, I'm supposed to go with kid and his friends to get a new game or something." she warned in a scolding tone, pointing a finger at him firmly. Keeping her eyes on his, the moment his smirk dropped, she turned with a scream and started running to her room.

"NO! TONY, NO! PUT ME DOWN!" Jess screeched as he caught her and threw her over his shoulder, her tiny fists beating him on the back playfully as she wiggled around, the elevator arriving to take them to their floor. "HELP!"

Down the hall in the kitchen, Thor frowned and stood up, hearing Jess' shout for help. Immediately, Steve and Nat put hands on his shoulders to keep him from leaving. "Lady Jess calls for help."

Bruce and Clint shared a look as Peter blushed and looked down at the table, telling the others they should go get ready and hurrying from the kitchen. Thor was the only one who hadn't been around the last few months to hear the other type of screaming that had come from the two. "Thor... Jess doesn't really need help. Besides, we all know she could kick his ass if she wanted to." Natasha pointed out.

Thor was even more confused as he looked towards the corner they had disappeared around. "Then why-" His look of confusion turned to a sheepish one, which rounded off to an amused one. "Oh... you Midgardians are so strange."


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: **Bit of a time jump. And dramaaaa. DUN DUN DUNNNNNNN.

**Disclaimer:** as always, I don't own Marvel, MCU or any characters in this. I am not getting paid, no copyright, yada yada.

* * *

"Drew, you okay?" Steve called from across the gym as Jess stood with her hands on her waist, breathing heavily as she waved off his concern. She had been sparring with Natasha as Steve and Thor hit some punching bags together since they all were early risers. All of a sudden, she got dizzy and had to back off of her female counterpart.

Closing her eyes, she nodded as Nat also asked if she was okay, "Must have been the sushi or something." She cleared her throat, trying to fight off the need to throw up. Shaking, she went to sit down, her friend holding her elbow, feeling too weak to shrug her off.

It wasn't the sushi, everybody else seemed fine. And they too were enhanced, surely someone would feel the same. Something was wrong with her.

The moment she sat down, Steve now next to her as well, trying to ask her questions, she reached for the trash can. Nat passed it to her quickly, and in the nick of time, she managed to toss her cookies in the bin and not all over the man. "S'okay. I'm fine." she gasped, throat burning as she tried to remember the last time she had thrown up and not knowing of a time. Her immune system fought off nearly everything. Steve and Nat were looking at each other with worry crossing their faces, unsure what was wrong with the woman who had seemed fine moments earlier.

"You need to go to the medical wing, Dr. Cho can find out what's wrong." Jess groaned and shook her head, leaning forward to throw up again. Not knowing how to help, Steve moved her hair out of her face like he had seen in a movie that someone had recommended to him (he was trying to catch up to the times), wincing as she threw up what seemed to her like everything she had ever eaten. "You don't get a choice, you're going."

Thor nodded his agreement, picking the woman up without waiting for her agreement, surprised when she simply laid in his arms. Normally, she would've argued that she didn't need to be carried (it was one of her pet peeves)... today, she stayed quiet, drained of the energy it would take to fight.

"Call Stark." Steve was in full on leader mode, though that statement earned him a scowl in his direction.

"Busy... California... You're overreacting..." she mumbled, shaking her head.

"If I don't tell him and he finds out I kept it from him, I'll have to fight in another war and I'm trying to prevent that. Sorry, Jess." Jess groaned from Thor's arms, huffing her disapproval of the situation but still not fighting against the man.

In the six weeks that they had been unofficially, officially together it was obvious to everyone that Tony truly cared for the woman. She, as well as the others it would seem, knew he would be pissed if someone didn't contact him. Even if she turned out to be just fine, it seemed like all of them were in favor of telling him and avoiding the annoying argument that would take place if they didn't. Except for her.

She laid in the hospital bed, letting Dr. Cho draw blood and looking through her notes to see if there was anything in her notes about anti-nausea medicine for accelerated immune systems and healing. She felt fine, she explained. It was just a bug or something, she groaned. "I feel better, Dr. Cho. Come on, let me leave here with some of my dignity. Maybe I can take a nap before Stark gets here."

The doctor regarded her with a raised eyebrow, shaking her head. "You're going to stay here until we know what causes someone with one of the best immune systems in the world to get sick, Miss Drew. Sit tight and relax, it's going to take me a little longer to analyze your blood results. They're not exactly... common to start with."

Jess laid with an arm thrown over her face, sighing as she felt embarrassed. She felt fine now, it could've just been something simple. Funny how something as small as food poisoning or a virus made superheroes go insane. The woman was not looking forward to seeing Tony overreact just like the rest of them... but maybe it could make it easier to convince him to buy her favorite Chinese food... smirking, she told herself if it was going to happen, might as well make it worth it.

* * *

"Where is she?" Tony asked, walking through the door and ripping his glasses off, not seeing her in any of the beds. Frowning at the upturned chairs and disarray of one of the sections, Tony turned to face Dr. Cho who had come out of her office.

"Mr. Stark, we did every blood test we could think of, every diagnostic test. I've only been able to come up with one diagnosis.."

"What happened? Where is she?!" He was tense, looking to the woman in front of her with worry. "She was fine! I left and she was healthy, then I get a call she's dizzy and weak, throwing up even? I thought her immune system was top notch?"

Pulling up all of the results in what seemed like midair to show in front of them, Dr. Cho pointed to the first graph. "These are blood results of a woman of Miss Drew's age.. well, the age she looks closest to. Late twenties." Bringing the second graph to the front, she ran her finger over the tops of the much higher bars. "These are what Miss Drew's blood results look like normally. Already twice what the first woman's are." Hesitating for a moment, she put the second and third so they were side by side and drew a red circle around the bars with her finger. "These are her results as of a few hours ago." They were twice what the already doubled results were.

"You have to tell me what I'm looking at, Doc. I'm a genius, not a doctor." He reminded her, reading some of the things that the blood tests tested, not recognizing the names of some but knowing he knew a lot of them. "Is she going to be okay?" That was all that mattered.

"I think you need to talk to her about that, Mr. Stark. I don't know where she went, only which way she headed." she admitted, a gentle hand on her boss who was also a friend's arm. "I'll be here if you need me." She left, leaving Tony to look over the results again, seeing one particularly elevated. hCG... it finally clicked in his head.

Swallowing, Tony ran a hand over his face, hand shaking a bit. "FRIDAY... where is Jess?"

* * *

Her knees pulled up to her chest, her chin resting on her knees, Jess sat in a corner ledge of the Tower's roof, squeezed up against the building. Hair whipping in the wind that was blowing towards her and the wall, eyes closed as she tried her best to let the feeling calm her. It was always the one thing that could cheer her up, feeling like being on top of the world. Not today, though. Not now.

He didn't have to say anything, she could sense him the moment he was walking towards the door that led to the roof. Her senses were so much more in-tune to him, more than they ever had been. But she didn't know what she needed... didn't know if she needed him or if she needed to be alone.

Jess felt the man sigh gently, a hand running lightly through her the ends of her hair as he sat down next to her, legs dangling over the edge. Tony tried to ignore the hurt that followed her squeezing herself even closer to the building, away from him. "You'll catch me if I fall, right?" he joked, not looking at her. Instead, down at the long way it would be if he fell before looking out at the city.

"Until my last breath." It shocked even her how genuinely protective the words sounded coming from her mouth.

"... Jess... I talked to Dr. Cho.."

"Dr. Cho is a traitor. I told her to not say anything." Her voice was cold, but held no real venom behind it.

"Technically, she didn't say." Schematics, right?

"Technically, she left a genius alone with results, she might as well have told." Jess grumbled, closing her eyes tighter as her heart raced.

"So, it's true. It's real?"

"I-I don't know what's true, Tony. I don't know what's real. Everything they ever told me was a lie, I don't know why I believed that one. I can't find my direction, I can feel myself pulling back into how I used to be... before I met you all, before I trusted you all. Now, I don't know what's real." The last words caught in her throat, tears dangerously close to falling as she started breathing quickly, covering her head with an arm as she tried to calm herself down.

"Jess..." He had been worried, oh yeah. While walking up, Tony had been terrified. Unprepared. Maybe a bit... betrayed, though that one didn't feel as certain as the others. Hearing the emotions all hitting her at once though, he could tell this was all as big of a shock to her as it was for him. "Jess."

"I didn't know, I swear I didn't. I wouldn't want this. I would never have said that if I didn't believe it so firmly. I still don't know I believe Dr. Cho."

"Jess."

"I can't do this, I might as well just end it now because I'm not ready for a long, drawn out thing. I don't want anyone to know, I just want to hide here for the rest of the time." Her rambling continued for a bit, her tiny hands curled into fists on her head as she shook her head. She winced only a little as she felt a hand on her own.

"It's a baby, it's not cancer. Hey, look at me, we'll get through this. Come on, Jess. Hey."

Jess' resolve was cracking as she felt Tony squeeze her hand as she started hyperventilating, knowing he had moved closer by the way he was stroking her hair. "Look at me, Jessica."

Eyes full of actual tears, something that startled him though he managed to keep a straight face, Tony had never seen the girl get misty eyed really, let along let tears fall down her face. "I'm not really crying, it's just the stupid hormones. I want to shoot them." she sobbed, shaking in anger and from the sharp inhales wracking through her body. Tony's face broke into one of sadness and sympathy, which he knew she'd hate but didn't care. She was somehow breaking his heart without trying. He scooped her up and scooted so he was taking up her spot next to the building, cradling her head against his neck as she cried on him.

"I'm sorry, Tony. I'm sorry you didn't get a choice and I'm sorry I was so careless to trust them with anything to do with me." Her voice was muffled, but he shook his head and pressed a kiss to her hair, not wanting her to feel bad for something she couldn't have seen coming.

"We both should've been more careful. I obviously wasn't complaining. To say I didn't have a choice though, that's pushing it. I absolutely had a choice to be with you, and I made it. I have to admit- I'm terrified." Tony chuckled nervously, stroking her hair as her sobs turned to sniffles, head turned as she refused to let him see her cry anymore. Tilting her chin up with one hand and holding her with the other, he waited until she looked him in the eye. "But I swear, I won't make you do this alone. If you want to keep it, we will. If you want to look at other options, we will. We'll... we'll figure this out, alright?"

Gripping his jacket with clenched hands, Jess couldn't bring herself to speak. Her heart filling with more emotions that told her to cry more but her brain refusing, telling her to stop being so fucking weak. What did she want...? "What do you want? And don't lie... I'll know."

Tony seemed taken aback by her question, thrown off guard as he thought about what he truly wanted. "Jess, I'm the most selfish person in the world and I have no idea how to be a father. My own was never there, he never told me he loved me or was proud of me. Hell, I'm probably a pretty rotten choice, really." he admitted, trying to look into the future. Trying to see if he could have anything, what he would want... what he craved. "I think if I'm going to give it the old college try, you're the person I'd want to try with. To try for. I'm not getting any younger, I know, it's hard to believe." He smiled at the snort of exasperation that got from her. "I think everything happens for a reason... whatever the reason. I will love this child more than anyone has been loved in this universe."

Whatever the cost, he was going to try to do right by this child. Whether they didn't work out in the end, whether Jess never trusted him fully or wanted to be with him, he would be the best father he could be. "Will you come lay in bed with me? ... I'll let you cuddle me." she said meekly, rubbing her eyes once to make sure there were no stray tears. "The stupid emotions are making me docile. This is awful. Can we not tell anyone yet?" Jess groaned, burying her face into his chest as he smirked down at her.

"I don't know, I kind of like it."

He laughed as she swatted his arm like she normally would, telling himself this would all work out one way or another. Even if it killed him.

* * *

**A/N:** Yep. Unoriginal plot twist. Don't care, I did that. Sooo, hah! Also the FEELS ABOUT TONY TALKING ABOUT CHILDREN AFTER ENDGAME HAS ME REMINISCING. Happy Holidays all!


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: **Yep. She's preggo. I mean, in the comics she does get pregnant... just, y'know, not by Stark. That we know. Obviouslyyyy I don't really know anything about the genetic makeup of Spider people so I'm just sort of taking creative intuition and going with what makes sense in my mind and for the story. If you don't like it, so sorry. I had one person PM me asking for her to get taken by HYDRA. Sick individual, making a pregnant woman get kidnapped and mind washed, how rude!... (: fortunately, I'm all for crazy plots. Happy readinggggg~

**Disclaimer:** as always, I don't own Marvel, MCU or any characters in this. I am not getting paid, no copyright, yada yada.

* * *

"I don't get what the problem is, Jess. Aren't you happy?" Steve pushed Jess off him, making her roll backwards, crouching before springing back up and landing a punch in his side before jumping back.

"I am. I really... really am. I know I care for him, everybody knows that. I just... I haven't said it yet." Jess grunted after hesitating as she blocked a punch from Steve who was sparring with her in the gym, hiding from Tony who had been overbearingly attentive. He had to be careful what he said since half the residents had super hearing and she still refused to tell anyone, so every once in a while he would just give her a knowing look. Jess was going crazy.

Steve looked at her from behind his arms that were raised in a defensive mode, raising an eyebrow at her. "Why do you think that is?"

Jess scowled and threw a kick at him, the breath getting knocked out of her as he grabbed her foot and flipped her to the ground, her arms catching her before she landed flat on her stomach. "Well, Dr. Rogers, I think it stems back from being tortured and then forced to kill people. Makes it kind of hard to say the 'L' word." Jess panted, grabbing his leg and pulling him down, putting him in a choke hold.

Steve was silent for a moment, her tone had been joking but the words were serious, making him pause. "I imagine... that would be... hard." he spluttered out as she kept her legs wrapped around his waist, arms around his neck. His arms came back and grabbed her by the waist, flipping her so her back was flush against his front, pinning her wrists with one of his hands.

"What the hell is going on?" Steve let her go quickly and scrambled to his feet, putting a hand out for Jess as he cleared his throat.

"Just sparring, Stark."

But Jess groaned and let her forehead drop to the mat covered floor at being found before taking his hand. Tony wasn't upset about the compromising position they were in, though he may be a bit jealous, he was pissed that she was sparring. Before he even said anything she knew that was what the problem was. "Don't get your panties in a bunch. Rogers was just getting sweet on me." Jess snickered as Steve blushed and shook his head, doing the best glare he could muster. He was just too nice to make it worth much.

Jess' grin flickered as she looked away sheepishly. "We're just messing around, Stark. Drop it." she huffed, hands on her hips as she went over to the dark haired man to stand toe to toe, though he was over a head taller than her.

"You need to be careful." Stark scolded, reaching down like he was going to touch her stomach, her own hand shooting out to grab his.

Looking up at him in warning, she could feel Steve's eyes drilling into the back of her head. "I'm not made of glass." Jess growled through gritted teeth, dropping his hand. Her patience was bubbling over the edge as she crossed her arms and let him put his hands on her waist to pull her closer to him.

"I know that, darling. Somethings are, though."

It was cute. Yeah, sure. Adorable. Him being all protective and all parent like already. She wasn't going to just stop being Spider-woman, though. For six more months? Not a chance.

Jess smiled sweetly, running a hand down his chest and blinking up at him through her long lashes. "You're right." she cooed, grabbing his arm faster than he could comprehend what she was doing and flipping him so he fell on the mat staring up at her with a groan. "Oops, are you one of them?" Steve had slipped out, still embarrassed by the whole thing and wanting to see if Bucky would go on a run with him. Neither of the two noticed.

Tony scowled up at her, standing up and going after her, waiting until he was next to her to pluck her off the ground despite her protests. "Let me go!" Jess snapped, wiggling in his arms as they got on the elevator. She sucked in a sharp breath as he pinned her against the elevator wall gently, her legs instinctively going around his waist.

"Are you going to be a pain in my ass this whole time, Drew? Why don't you take the day off? Or like, the next six months? Maybe longer?" He said in that sexy voice that he used when he was trying to seduce her.

Jess sighed and ran her hand through his hair in a not so common loving gesture. "Tony... you know I can't do that. Do you know how long I said no to this club? Haven't even been here a year and you're wanting me to sit it out? This is my job."

"Okay, but you don't need a job. You have a billionaire boyfriend and baby daddy, you could literally never work a day in your life. Especially putting your life on the line work for a pay check that is surely way less than deserved."

Rolling her eyes, she pushed his shoulder gently as he leaned to kiss her neck. "Oh, is that what you are?" Her heart soared at the word, and while she wasn't dating anyone else and was sure he wasn't, they had never put a label on things. "I will never be the kind of woman you can sit on a shelf and I just do nothing and you know it. I'm an assassin, a damn good one. And an alright Avenger. What would I be if I wasn't those things?" she frowned, thinking about what she would do and shaking her head, unable to fathom the idea.

"A mother?"

Her nose was scrunched up, knowing this might work on other females given the opportunity. Most women would die for the chance to have a billionaire take care of them, to have no responsibilities. "I am not giving up who I am anymore than you will, Iron Man. No more talk, I like you better lately when your mouth is occupied." she purred, leaning in to kiss him and giggling when he put his hands on her ass once the elevator came to a stop, carrying her into his room.

* * *

"Captain, call out the game plan." Fury said as he stood in the meeting room a week later, arms behind back as Steve stood up and looked at his team who was sitting around the table.

As Steve explained the mission, Jess ignored Tony who was looking at her from across the room, frowning as he spoke about the objective. Rumlow was going to try to infiltrate the SHIELD base in DC, the objective for the Avengers was simple; don't let him. As he turned to look at her after everyone else had their position, Jess' eyes narrowed as Tony cleared his throat and shook his head. "No. Skip her."

Everyone, including Fury, looked at him with surprise evident in their faces. "Stark, what are you talking about? You as well as any of us know that she's part of us now, not them. She's going to have to face HYDRA eventually. Even I believe she's not working for them." Bucky spoke up, which would've normally put a look of shock on her own face if she wasn't glaring at the dark haired man standing next to the Captain.

"Exactly. She's part of the team, so she's not going."

"Bud, I know it's hard having someone you care for in danger, but you can't stop her because it's dangerous. That's part of the job." Clint pointed out, not sure where the sudden burst of protectiveness had come from. Tony knew better than all of them that Jess was an asset to the team and could take care of herself.

"I understand... however,"

"Stark." she said through gritted teeth, standing up so fast her chair would've fallen if Clint hadn't caught it. "Stand down." she growled in a voice so filled with warning even Nat was impressed.

"she's not going because I have to protect her, and I have to do what's best for my child."

The silence was so quiet, it hurt Jess' ears when all she could hear was the ringing as she saw red. "That's not your call." Jess hissed, going towards Tony to do who knew what but being caught by Thor gently holding her arm.

"Is no one else wondering what the hell is going on here? Or did everyone know but me?" Fury snapped as everyone stayed quiet, angry that his team knew something that he didn't and no one mentioned to say anything. "So, let me just... get this straight. You go from hating my recruit, to knocking her up? Is this a joke?" Fury chuckled quietly, making it all the more worrisome.

Everyone was looking between Tony and Jess, not bothering to respond to Fury who was about to lose his shit.

"How dare you, you pompous asshole!" Jess snarled, not resisting against Thor who was still holding her back though she wasn't happy about the position. "You had no right to tell everyone, especially in a bid to get me benched!" Jess started walking towards him, dragging Thor with her but stopping when Steve put a hand on her shoulder.

"So he's being honest? This isn't just a lie so he can have you stay behind?"

Jess snorted, shaking off both of them and crossing her arms as she avoided eye contact with any of them. "Like I would let him lie while I sat here twiddling my thumbs? No... he's not lying... but what does that matter?! Okay, yes, I'm pregnant. Score two for HYDRA, zero for Jess. One for making me think I'm a spider and two for making me think I was sterile." She cleared her throat, not looking up in case they were looking at her with sad eyes. That wasn't why she told them, she just didn't want them to think she was that irresponsible.

"Jess... I don't know if I can send you out." Steve said after a moment of silence, the blood in her veins running cold as she looked up at him finally.

"What? Why? I'm still me! Guys, come on! I'm fucking Spider-woman. I'm nearly indestructible. Especially to some big, idiot like Rumlow. I'm hardly even pregnant! Dr. Cho said my womb is like ten times stronger than most women, that baby is in a cocoon of steel." Jess tried to bargain, shaking her head with a halfhearted smile as she looked around the room. No one else was smiling. "Oh... my God. You all side with _him?! _He did this on purpose!"

"Whether he did it on purpose or not, the fact is while you can take care of yourself, Tony will be distracted trying to keep an eye on you and we need to get this guy." Steve looked uncomfortable but his voice was strong, not wavering.

"If he can be so easily distracted, maybe he should be the one staying back! Just say what you mean, Rogers. You need him more than me and now since I'm the woman and pregnant, I'm of no use." Jess snapped, shaking visibly with anger as she ripped her hand away as Tony tried to grab it. "You don't touch me." She moved so she was behind Clint who put a hand out, stopping Tony from advancing.

"No! Jess! That's not it, of course it's not because you're a woman. Stop that. It's because we _all_ will be worried and keeping an eye on you..."

Jess shook her head, refusing to look at any of them except for Nat, feeling a bit betrayed that the other assassin remained quiet. "Let me know how that works out for you since I'll be here alone." Turning away, she threw her mug and left the room, her heightened emotions getting the best of her.

"Thanks for siding with me, Capsicle."

"Save it, Stark. That was the worst possible way to bring this up and you know it. Right before we're about to leave? That was low, even for you." Steve snapped, glad that the others were nodding in agreement with him.

"Whether it's fair or not, I would be worried about her and now she thinks she's less important than you. She couldn't be more wrong, but have fun trying to convince your girlfriend that she's an equal now." Clint chuckled, standing up as the others stood.

Tony stood with his hands in his pockets, sighing as everyone left except for him and Fury. "You better be glad you're a genius and we might need you and your resources, because I want to beat your ass. I worked on getting that woman in this meeting room for almost a year, and you've ruined it in less than that. Fix this. Don't care how, but fix it." He pulled his black trench coat closed and rolled his eye before leaving.

* * *

"It's not right what Stark did. I'm sorry."

Jess rolled her eyes and continued kicking the punching bag, not looking at the woman in the mirror. "Yeah, thanks for speaking up in the meeting. Real friend you are." She continued punching and working the bag over, not bothering to look at the red head who had moved to be next to her.

"You're lucky."

Her hand froze mid punch as she heard the words, turning finally to stare at her. "What?"

"I said you're lucky. I actually am sterile... for this reason, of course. In the Red Room, it was part of completing our training. So that we would only focus on our missions, no distractions. Even if I decided I did want to have kids now that I'm no longer a for hire assassin, I couldn't. It never mattered to me, not really... until I found someone that I thought I might want that life with. And I can't have it." Jess listened, feeling bad for the woman and also shocked that she was actually talking about her past at all. Nobody knew, except for Steve and Clint. Thinking about her words, Jess wondered who the person was that Nat had fallen for.

"You know more than anyone why it's insulting that they're treating me like I'm an invalid. Then again, they're making what the KGB thinks a fact; a pregnant assassin is a useless assassin." Jess punched the bag, sending it flying away from her, stepping away so she was facing Nat. "You also know that six months doing nothing, having a kid to take care of instead of doing what I was made for... I don't even know if I made the right decision, Nat. An assassin, as a mother? Who am I kidding?" She was feeling so low, so useless. Putting a hand to her forehead, she shook her head.

Nat gestured to her belly and looked at her as if asking permission. Jess sighed, nodding and watching the bizarre turn of events as Black Widow put a hand on her stomach that wasn't showing yet. "I will try to get them to change their minds, at least until you're further alone. Sitting around doing nothing isn't any better than you being with us." A small smile played on Natasha's full lips as she thought about Tony holding a baby that fit in his hands. "Remember this isn't bad luck, Jess. This is a gift... everyone here is going to treat it as such, even me."

They said good-bye and Jess stood alone in the gym, hands on her hips as she sighed and looked at the ground.

"Miss Drew, Mr. Stark is waiting to leave until he speaks to you."

The AI system still managed to make her uncomfortable, forgetting that she wasn't actually alive and couldn't see her shake her head. "Tell him he'll be waiting a long time, I don't want to see him."

"Drew." Jess scowled as the man overrode the system and was speaking through the speakers, making her walk out the door. "Jess... I know you're mad, but I don't want to leave without talking to you." the voice followed her as she walked down the hall.

"You wouldn't have to if you would've kept your mouth shut." Jess muttered to herself quietly, not sure if FRIDAY had caught that or not.

"Just know I love you, I know you're not used to what that means from people... but sometimes it means taking some anger thrown in your direction to protect the ones you love. I'll be back soon, I'll make it up to you. If you need anything, Happy and Pepper are staying in the tower, and FRIDAY can get ahold of me whenever. Keys to the car are on my dresser. I love you."

Jess stood in her room, looking out her window as the only person she had ever grown to care so deeply for flew away from her. She yawned as she went to the closet and got her suit on, flipping the small tracking device in the air and catching it as she whistled and smirked. Yeah right, like they really thought they were going to leave her behind? Tony wouldn't see the small tracking bug that was located in the armpit (unable to be seen so undetectable) of the suit. "For a genius, baby, you're really an idiot." she cooed, getting dressed and putting on sweats and a hoodie over the suit. Walking into Tony's room, her hands almost stopped over the Tesla sedan's keys but hesitated as she caught sight of the others. Snatching up the ones for the brand new, suped up sports car, Jess smiled deviously. "Oh FRIDAY, I'm just going out for some air. Don't wait up."

She'd show him what happened when someone put Jess in the corner.


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer:** as always, I don't own Marvel, MCU or any characters in this. I am not getting paid, no copyright, yada yada.

* * *

The fight was pretty evenly matched, though HYDRA was starting to crumble from the power the Avengers emitted. Nat had managed to corner Rumlow on the roof of a building as the others worked on thinning the HYDRA agents. Tucking and rolling away as he tried to shoot her, she managed to spring up and aim a well placed roundhouse kick to his hand, the gun flying from his hand off the side of the building. Nat stood with her hands up in front of her to defend herself, bullets long gone for her gun. Flipping her hair out of her face as she glared at him, Natasha tracked him as he moved in a circle around her.

"Where's your newest spider at? Or was a third spider with a love of HYDRA too much for the team?" Rumlow mocked, not seeing the woman he had helped train among the ranks of Avengers.

"I'd be more worried about how you plan on getting away. You're on every Avenger's shit list and your team's ass is getting kicked." Nat growled, trying to catch him off guard by running forward to try to punch him. He was ready for it, catching her by the forearm and twisting her arm until it was pinned behind her back. Walking her towards the edge of the roof, Rumlow leaned forward so his mouth was by her ear.

"I'd tell you to pass the message on that we're going to bring her back one way or another, but I fear you won't make it that far."

Nat's head turned sharply as her eyes landed on his, eyes narrowed. Jess would rather die than go back to HYDRA... but now that she was pregnant, would that change? "I don't know who you're talking about." the red head mocked back, picking up her foot and stomping on the man's who gritted his teeth but tightened his grip.

"We will reclaim what belongs to us. Too bad you're the spider who can't spin a web." Rumlow growled before shoving her off the side of the building and walking away from the edge.

Nat was gasping as she tried to catch her breath, looking around for a way out of ending up splattered on the sidewalk. She couldn't speak as she barreled towards the ground, unable to use the piece in her ear to call for help and not seeing any of her teammates around. Closing her eyes as the ground got closer, Nat was surprised when she didn't feel anything. Maybe she had died on impact, the only feeling she felt was pressure around her waist like she was being hugged. Opening her eyes, she laughed as she saw she was flying above the cars and sidewalk. Err, swinging. Moving her head, she caught sight of the red and black mask pulled over the person's head. "Stark is going to be furious." she yelled over the wind rushing past them.

Jess let the woman slide from her grasp as they neared the ground, shooting her web up so they were dangling from a street light. Natasha landed on her feet lightly next to Clint and Steve who still had their shield and bow up, looking at the woman next to them in relief. Jess sat crouched lithely on the street lamp, tilting her head and taking off her mask as she looked to Nat. "Stark is lucky I get more motivated when I'm furious otherwise there would be a splattered Black Widow on 14th." Jess pointed out, smiling at her friend.

"Thank you." Natasha said firmly, smiling back at the woman.

"Now, you guys stay here and play nice. I have a date with an asshole, and it's not the one I willingly chose." Jess winked and put her mask on, ignoring Steve who had started to argue. "I'm the only one who can track him and catch him, no offense but you're all sort of useless in the sky." Steve stopped arguing but looked on in disapproval, watching as the woman shot a web out with her hand and was pulled up to go swinging building to building.

Jess kept her eyes open and went back to the top of the building Nat had been tossed off of, deciding to start from there and work her way out. Landing on the roof, Jess listened intently, knowing that the man was human so there were only a certain amount of options on which way he went. He could've gone down on a grip-hook, but propelling down buildings had never been Rumlow's favorite. Pussy. He could've gone inside and down the long way but again, not Rumlow. Efficiency was key. He'd want to be making his way back down to the fight, but in a sneak attack style.

Looking across the building, Jess nodded. "Across it is." she mumbled, looking up and seeing Thor and Tony nearby in the distance, fighting in an open space. Gazing across the buildings, Jess glared as she saw a shape crouching down with a sniper, facing towards her team mates. No, not happening. She ran and jumped off the building, using her web to shoot across the openings to the shorter building, using all her power to pull herself down towards the person. They turned around in time for her to slam her fist into their face, landing on the roof and kicking the gun off the building as the person groaned.

"Ahh, there you are, Arachne. Have you convinced the others you're a harmless garden spider yet?" Rumlow spat blood out from where he laid on the ground, chuckling and wiping the blood from his mouth.

Gritting her teeth, Jess kept her hands raised up in defense, not letting his jeers taunt her into making the wrong move. "It's Spider-woman."

"Of course it is, of course. At least until we bring you back in. You can take the person out of HYDRA, but you can't take HYDRA out of the person."

Jess yawned, rolling her eyes though he couldn't see that of course. "God, you're annoying. There's a reason you're sent out so much, Rublow. And it's not because of skill. Trust me." She kept her stance as the man stood to his feet, shaking his head, hate burning in his eyes before engaging her in a tussle.

She was quicker than him, lighter on her feet. He had been fighting for so long, she could admit (to herself) that he did know what he was doing. He had somehow managed to grab her by a web slinger, making her have to disengage it nimbly to twirl away from him. Her other one was crushed when she was thrown to the ground and had thrown her hand out to catch herself. Rolling away from his foot, she jumped to her feet and put her hands up.

"What are you without your gun and webs, Arachne? Just another assassin. Nothing special. You can act like a hero all you want, but in the end you'll always be property of HYDRA. Cut off one head and-" Rumlow's body was blasted to the side and crumpling before he could finish the dumbass saying, making her frown even more.

"I had it." She looked up at Tony who was putting his hand down, face mask already sliding up to reveal his face that was trying to hide his emotions.

"You did, but you weren't kicking his ass fast enough and God, he's annoying." That made her smile a bit, though she was still pissed at the man so she was glad her mask was still on. "What are you doing here?" Tony groaned, walking towards her and bringing an arm up that the red steel parted from so his hand could touch her masked cheek. Sliding her mask off, Jess looked at him.

"Saving Nat, stopping the bad guy; you know, hero stuff." Jess couldn't help but feel complete again being close to him, letting him cup her face as she stared up at him. "I'm not a princess who needs rescuing, Stark. _I'm _the one who does the rescuing, you have to let me be who I was meant to be."

Tony bent down and caught her lips in a burning kiss, hand traveling down to her wrist. Before she realized what was happening, a metal cuff was on her wrist as he pulled away to look at Rumlow who was raising a gun. Tony pushed the woman off the roof, Jess letting out a gasp as she started shooting downwards. Tony threw his hand out so the suit was ripped off his body and was already forming into a suit of armor around her.

"TONY!" Jess screamed, trying to turn and twist out the suit that was flying her safely to the ground. "No, no! FRIDAY!" Jess yelled, seeing the digital system pulling up in front of her eyes.

"Yes, Miss Drew?"

"FRIDAY! Take me back up!"

"I'm afraid I can't do that, Miss Drew. I was instructed to take you safely to Captain Rogers and only let you control Mr. Stark's suit after Captain Rogers clears it."

"What?!" Jess growled, still trying to rip the suit off with little success, her heart racing as she flew through the streets towards Steve. "He's going to have to make a SATURDAY when I'm through with you, FRIDAY!"

"Your heart rate is highly elevated, Miss Drew. I recommend calming down so your heart rate can re-calibrate."

Unbelievable... a AI system was sassing her as her boyfriend could be dying. "Rogers! I'm coming on your 6."

There was silence, for a moment she wasn't sure the stupid genius computer had connected her with Steve but when she got a concerned "Drew?" she realized he was just confused to turn around and see Tony's suit but Jess' voice. The suit landed next to him, Jess wobbling a little as she tried to get used to it. "Jess, is that you? What's wrong? Why are you in his suit?"

The woman was surprised when the mask slid up so she could see Steve, gasping as the adrenaline ran through her. "Rogers! I need you to tell this stupid weekday that I can be in charge."

"What? Hold on, tell me what's going on. And why would FRIDAY listen to me?"

"Tony is in trouble, damnit! I can't explain, he could be dying! He has no suit and Rumlow is up there! He told Siri here that I can only control the suit if you give the all clear. Please, Steve!" She couldn't even get out of the suit, she was locked inside and trying not to panic from the enclosed feel of the suit.

Steve looked at her, looking to Thor who had come next to them, looking just as concerned as Steve. Nodding to her finally, he put his shield on his arm strap. "Fine, but you're taking me with you. No arguments."

"Yes, yes! Fine! I don't care! Come on!" Jess whined, taking hold of the man's arms in front of her and waiting.

"FRIDAY? We're safe, please allow Jess to take the controls back."

"Yes, Captain Rogers. Mr. Stark requests that you verify by saying what his favorite nickname for you is."

"Capsicle!" They both yelled at the same time. Jess almost snarled, pissed that the man had to always joke around even in a life or death situation. He had obviously planned on him needing to protect her at some time, building in fail safes and the works.

"Thrusters!" Jess shouted, the mask sliding back down as she gripped onto Steve and told him to hold on as the suit shot up. "Whoa!" It wasn't as easy as Tony made it look, they went way too high the first try and almost crashed down all the way to the ground on the next. Eventually, with only minimal trouble that felt like it took longer than it really did, Jess landed on the roof and let Steve go, running over to where Tony laid on the ground.

"Oh my God. Oh no, no no. Stark!" Jess snapped, sliding to a stop and throwing herself to her knees, "Face mask!" she said to FRIDAY, reaching out and grabbing hold of Tony's bloodied face. "Stark! You wake up, you asshole! You pushed me off a building! What were you thinking?" Jess' heart felt like it was being ripped out of her chest as she tried to take stock of his injuries. He was lying in a pool of blood that was behind him and his face was a mess of cuts and scrapes, he seemed to be breathing but his eyes remained closed. "You are always so dramatic, even when you're putting yourself in danger you big idiot. You didn't have to push me off, why couldn't you just push me to the side? You needed the suit more than I did." Jess whined, not paying attention to Thor or Steve who were standing behind her, looking grave.

"I... you can't die. You hear me? You can't leave me. I don't even know if I can raise a kid, let alone by myself. You can't die. Steve, tell him! Tell him it's an order!" Jess had tears in her eyes as she turned to look at the two men behind her, shrugging off Thor's hand as she refocused her attention on Tony. She hadn't even noticed the Hulk standing to the side, looking at the scene. "You can't leave me Tony, because... because I love you. I love you more than I've ever loved another soul, I love you. Please, please don't leave me to deal with the others knowing I have feelings." Jess blinked as her tears fell onto the man's chest as she sat next to him.

Jess looked up as the Hulk meandered over to stand above her, looking down at Tony before letting out a loud roar. Tony's eyes shot open as he breathed in deeply. "Why does he do that?!" he breathed out, trying to scowl at the green beast before letting his eyes connect to Jess'. "I thought I told you red and yellow was my thing, Drew..? Even if it does look good on you."

Jess laugh was more of a sob as she leaned forward and hugged the man who had sat up, the gun shot to his shoulder obvious now as he winced and hugged her back. She kissed him and closed her eyes, heart still thumping in her ears as she let out a relieved sigh. "I hope you heard that, I'm not saying it again." Jess sniffled, pulling away and letting Thor and Steve help the man up. Getting to her feet with less difficulty this time, Jess smiled despite herself as Tony winked at her.

"You'll have to run that by me again, Cupcake. Was that... the L word...? I think I heard wrong. Thor, Captain? Hulk? Did _the _Jessica Drew say she loved me?" He groaned as he stood now, waiting as Steve called for Clint to bring the Quinjet around.

"I have no idea how you fooled everyone into thinking you're a genius... but I love you anyways." Jess whispered as he smiled at him. "Now get this fucking thing off me and let's talk about a new AI system because this one almost let you get killed." She huffed as the others laughed, Tony in pain and the others in relief.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: **Them coming home and then a little fluffin to stuff in! Haven't had a cute scene in a bit. How are we feeling? Do we want her to have the baby, have something happen to the baby? I'm all ears... err, eyes!

**Disclaimer:** as always, I don't own Marvel, MCU or any characters in this. I am not getting paid, no copyright, yada yada.

* * *

"You had to take the Audi, didn't you? You just couldn't take the Tesla." Tony said after they had been in the air for a bit, making Jess shrug as she kept her eyes out the windshield of the jet. She had insisted on him not driving, saying he had almost died though he insisted right back that it wasn't that close. Hulk had been able to smash the man off the roof before he could actually hurt Tony too badly, though she didn't care about schematics. He was either flying in the Quinjet where Bruce, who had finally turned back to his not so big counterpart, could watch him, or he was flying back in a medical helicopter.

Tony chose the jet. Nat was chosen to drive the sports car back, which had made Tony squirm a bit and whine.

"You just had to tell everyone that I'm pregnant didn't you?" Jess mocked, though there wasn't as much teasing in her voice as there had been in his. Peeking at him out of the corner of her eye, she was pleased to see that the man at least had the decency to look semi guilty.

"I was doing it-"

"To protect me. I get it. For some reason you think I, the one who has literal super powers and can lift a car if I wanted to, needs protecting." Jess raised an eyebrow as she looked at him for a moment, staring at him as he seemed to be processing her statements. "I don't need protecting, Tony Stark. I don't need people coddling me and treating me like I'm special because we fucked and I got knocked up. That's what everybody is going to do now." she groaned as she thought about it all over again, making her shake her head. "Especially the kid." Shit, she forgot no one had told him. "You get to tell him." Jess threw the words out before he could even open his mouth, making him groan.

"While I admit, some of it was because I was trying to get you benched- yeah, yeah, I know. That sour puss look can't change the fact of why I did it. While I was trying to get you benched, the other reason I wanted to tell people is... I don't know. I guess I'm sort of excited. And this team, these people, they're the only family and friends I have." Speaking of friends, he wondered what Pepper would say when she found out. He turned his head to look at the brunette, who was squeezing his hand lightly.

"I know. I understand... They're my friends, too."

"Family. You better believe I'm going to be Uncle Clint!" Clint yelled from the front, putting the jet on cruise control but staying close. "So, are you going to have one baby, or multiple? You know, since spiders have hundreds?" He snickered but was thrown forward a bit as a shoe hit the back of his head. "Ouch! Why do you two always have something to throw at me?!" he huffed, rubbing his head as Jess, Tony, and Steve laughed.

"Really though, what did Dr. Cho say? I know tensions were a bit high at the meeting, I forgot to say congratulations to both of you. Babies are great. And it'll be the most protected baby in the universe, I think that much is obvious."

Tony looked to Jess as if asking her permission, making her scowl. "Oh, now you don't say anything?" She rolled her eyes but still had a small smile for the man that had somehow won her heart. "She's a little concerned, but only because she can't see anything on an ultrasound. She's guessing it's due to my DNA and the spider genes, somehow the womb is just... harder? More durable? She even tried to use a needle to try to get some samples and the needle couldn't pierce it." She patted Tony's hand as he shuddered.

"Now that, was utterly horrible. I almost passed out." Jess raised an eyebrow, making him clear his throat. "Okay, I did pass out."

"But there's a heart beat, I can hear it." Jess confirmed, seeing a worried look on Steve's face that settled into a smile. Steve wanted kids and a family, he always had. It made Jess feel slightly bad, to get something by accident that he would have to dream of having one day. It made her feel even worse to think that she had thought at one point of not carrying the baby to term or keeping the baby. Looking around the jet at Thor speaking to Bruce, of Tony and Steve smiling at each other in a rare moment of peace... she couldn't imagine not keeping it now. "I do have terms I want to talk to you guys about, not terms as much as they are demands, Captain."

Tony tried to keep a smile on his face, though his natural instinct was to be concerned. Steve directed his attention to the small woman, crossing his fingers together.

"I am still a part of this team, and I expect to be treated as such. I'm still going to spar, I'm still going to go on missions. Until I'm unable or not willing to," she didn't imagine wanting to do nothing but from what she'd been reading about pregnancy it seemed to be more trying towards the end, "I am still Spider-woman. That will never change." Jess said firmly, not looking at Tony and content with the fact that he wasn't arguing, though she was sure he wanted to. "I say when it's time to be done."

Steve took a moment to weigh the alternatives, sighing and leaning back a little to eye the woman. "Unless it's a mission that involves radiation or something crazy, but I will talk to you beforehand so you're not taken aback." Jess thought it was fair, though she wasn't happy about it. She knew if she was going to commit to keeping the baby that she had to know her limits. "And no more of that doing what you think you need to do stuff you tend to do. Fury and I both agreed that you would stay behind. That was an order. I know you're not used to working on a team, but for it to work, we need to trust each other. Sometimes that means trusting me to do what is right for you, okay?"

Jess sighed but nodded, knowing she needed to try harder. "And, one more thing." Jess looked to Tony who nodded before looking back to Steve. "We want you to be the Godfather." Though they bickered like brothers and Tony was really close to everyone on the team in a way, it was obvious that Steve was the person he would trust above everyone else. The one who he knew through and through would protect his baby with every ounce of strength in him, and who would if both of them died for whatever reason, raise him right.

Steve seemed astonished, looking to her and back to Tony, a questioning look on his face mixed with an emotion that she could only compare to overwhelmed, he took a deep breath. "Really...? Me? Not Happy or Bruce?"

Tony coughed a bit, wincing as the pain in his shoulder was sharp for a moment. "Don't get all emotional on me, Rogers... you're our leader. If everything goes to shit, I know I can count on you to boss everyone around in a way that will protect the baby at all costs. It was a survival choice, not a personal one." Tony grumbled, not liking the idea of Steve thinking he was going soft.

Steve chuckled and clapped him gently on his good shoulder, knowing how much it meant for him to choose Steve. "Of course it was. And of course I would. Until the end."

"You better not let Barnes hear you saying that, he'll be butt hurt." Tony said, a small smile breaking through as he clapped his hand on Steve's arm.

"Either way it's an honor. Thank you." Steve gripped Jess' hand and squeezed it with a smile as she nodded. "We're going to be landing in a bit, I'm going to go up front with Clint." There was a smile the size of Russia on the man's face as he went to the front where Jess assumed he told the archer assassin the news because Clint smiled and did that clapping on the shoulder thing that seemed universal with men.

Jess sighed as she sat back in her seat, closing her eyes and holding a hand on her stomach. "What's wrong? Are you okay?" Jess opened her eyes and looked to Tony, smiling at the man.

"Nothing, just tired. It's been a long day. If this is how tired I am at only three months, I don't even want to know how bad things will get." Really, it bothered her imagining how big she would get and how much things would change. She squirmed a little with a frown. "I should be asking if you're okay, you're the hurt one silly."

"I'm fine, I was breathing the whole time. Just think I got knocked out is all. And shot, I mean I did get shot." Tony stuck his bottom lip out to pout, pointing to his lips and batting his long lashes (lucky! Why did guys always get the long lashes girls dreamed of?!) at her until she rolled her eyes and smiled softly, leaning forward to kiss him. "I feel a bit better now." He acted like he was thinking for a moment before nodding and looking back at her with a smile.

Jess ran a hand through his thick hair, propping her head up with her free hand, elbow on the arm rest between them. She closed her eyes as he did the same, humming in contentment.

"Marry me." Tony whispered, making Jess' eyes shoot open in surprise, not expecting that. She studied him intently, deciphering his statement.

"If you still want me after the baby is born, ask again..." Jess whispered back, his eyes scanning her face, his eyebrows pulled together.

"I'm always going to want you, Drew. I've never loved someone... but now that I have, it's so intoxicating. I don't know how people can throw it away. I'm addicted."

Jess couldn't help her lips curling up in amusement, sure the pain killers Bruce had given him had to be kicking in. "Is that what it's like?"

"Don't you feel it too?"

Jess turned so she could look at him, taking a moment to really soak him in. Her eyes roaming over his aging but still handsome face, the swagger he lived with still apparent even when he was hurt and half drugged. Her hand went through his hair again lightly, realizing though he was a bit loopy that his words were all true. "Yeah... I suppose you're right. I guess I've never been addicted to something before so I didn't realize how good it would feel.." The good feeling in general was new for her, it wasn't something she had seen a lot of in her years. Tony smiled a dopey grin at her, eyes closing as he nodded. "Go to sleep. We'll be home soon."

He was asleep before she could finish the statement.

* * *

"Miss Drew, Mr. Stark is requesting your presence upstairs." Jess didn't both looking up from the book she was reading, curled up in one of Tony's sweaters on a couch in the living room as Clint sat across from her cleaning his bow.

"Okay, FRIDAY. Where is he?" The woman put her book down after finishing the page and replacing her bookmark, letting out a yawn.

"In his bedroom, Miss." She looked up to Clint who had an eyebrow raised and a smirk on his face. She threw a throw pillow at him, rolling her eyes with a smile. It was kind of her thing, throwing stuff at him. Making her way to the elevator and nodding to Bucky who got in with her, Jess kept fidgeting in the elevator, worry on her face.

"What's wrong, Jess?"

Jess looked up in surprise to the man, not sure he had ever called her by name. While she hadn't voiced her concern to anyone, she felt like Bucky would probably understand the most. "... He got away... which means he knows I definitely am still with you guys. While everybody likes to think he's dumb, Rumlow's not an idiot. He knows what I am to Tony now." Jess wrung her hands, rubbing her palm with her other hand nervously. "They'll be back."

"I know what you're thinking... don't do it. We both know they'd do anything to get you and I, the others think they understand but only we really do. But don't run. This really is the safest place for us to try to evade them." Bucky said firmly, looking at her almost in an accusing way which made her look away in shame. She had been thinking about running, but only because it was for the best. All of the Avengers wouldn't be worth putting at risk just to keep her safe. "I'm serious."

"I know... they'll find us, though. I mean, we're in a huge building that's basically screaming 'bomb me, I have the Avengers here'. You need to promise me something... Tony promised but I don't trust him, not with this." Jess pushed the close button for the doors, waiting until he let his eyes meet her's. "I don't care if I'm pregnant, if they take me.. promise me you'll try to kill me. I can't go back."

Bucky hesitated, knowing Tony would be pissed and try to kill him if he ever found out... he understood though. "Only if you promise me the same... Steve would never kill me. He doesn't get it, not really. None of them do. The things they made me do, they're things I'll never be able to atone for. I can't do that again, I can't kill innocent people again." Jess nodded immediately, agreeing. "I promise I will do my best to kill you if there's no way to save you."

"I promise the same." Jess put a hand on his arm and squeezed lightly. "Thank you.."

Bucky nodded, going back to the stoic version she was most familiar with as she pressed the open button and walked to Tony's room, happy to see he was actually relaxing for once, propped up in his bed. It had been a few weeks since he had been shot, though that hadn't kept him from working in the lab and bothering everyone as always. He looked up from his phone and smiled, patting his lap.

The level of comfort she had with him was so different than she had ever felt with someone else, even Jared. Walking over to him, she crawled into the bed and curled up on his lap, letting him hold her almost like a baby as she rested her head on his good shoulder. "What were you and Tony Jr doing?" He stroked her hair and smiled as she huffed.

She refused to have the baby be a junior and he knew it, which is why he said it. Frequently. "Reading." she said, closing her eyes and letting out a hum of contentment as he ran his fingers through her hair.

"You have a billionaire boyfriend who could make you something better than a Kindle and you choose to read like you're in the Stone Age?" he teased, making her smile wryly and nod against his shoulder.

"Nothing will ever beat the smell of a new book or turning the crisp pages." she reminded him, a lot on her mind but feeling safe which was nice, even if it was just for a moment.

"What's on your mind, Drew?" The man planted a kiss on her neck in a non-sexual way, breathing in the smell of her flowery smelling shampoo as he buried his face in her neck.

"... Do you ever have the same nightmare over and over?"

Tony pulled away slowly, letting his hand stay on the side of her neck in a gentle embrace, frowning but nodding. "Yeah... I guess I do. Do you?"

Jess was quiet for a moment, messing with the collar of his shirt as she thought about how much to say before settling on the truth. "Yes.." except it wasn't a nightmare... it was a memory. Jess' hand was still, the worry of going back still fresh in her mind from the talk with Bucky.

"I'll tell you mine if you tell me your's."

She inhaled sharply, turning her head as her heart ached. "... They tell me to shoot him. He's young, eighteen... maybe early twenties. I ask why and the person slams the gun across my face and tells me it doesn't matter, it was an order. I refuse." It was after they had already convinced the woman that she was morphed from a spider. Sure, she had felt lost, but she was never that lost. She went through months of training, never receiving push back from her, she always listened. They didn't have to shock or brain wash her for almost a year... until the blond haired kid came through the door.

"I beg them, it's the only time I've ever begged in my life... I beg them to tell me what he did, gun in my hand. They refuse, say that's not my concern. They're yelling at me, holding me by my hair. I drop the gun... they take me back and I- I guess they mess with my head." She didn't realize her hand was shaking until Tony grabbed it, kissing it and listening to her with a somber look, though she refuses to look at him.

"They bring me back in... the kid is sobbing... he's sobbing through the gag. They put the gun in my hand, and tell me to shoot him. He hardly gets the chance to look at me before I shoot him in the head. I don't even blink." Her breath was coming out ragged as she shook, her eyes closed as Tony's arms wrap around her tightly. "When I have it, that's when I wake up all crazy and robot like. It's not a nightmare, it's a memory. One I'm forced to relive, to remind myself that I'm a murderer. That kid..." she swallowed, putting a hand to her mouth to try to keep herself from throwing up at the thought of _their_ kid ending up like that. "I can't be a mother, there's mothers who will never know what happened to their kids. I'm a monster." Jess' heart hurt, she could feel the weight of everything she ever did and while she knew it was the elevated hormones, she also knew it was real.

"You're not. Nothing you did was who you are, Jess. You would never do that to an innocent person willingly and you know it. I know it. Any of us could have the same thing happen to us."

"The nightmare is the fact that it was probably the easiest thing I ever did or at least the quickest. I had no remorse, I just killed him." Oh God, this was awful. Pregnancy was awful! These were all things she knew, things that she had to relive over and over because the rap sheet was so long. When SHIELD gave her her memory back, it was the _feelings _that came attached to everything that had hit the hardest. The memories of what she had done were always there, they didn't hide those from her. But the knowledge of right and wrong, the feelings of grief and sadness; they were debilitating at best, she had just never had to feel them.

Tony didn't try to make her feel bad, he didn't try to make her stop feeling bad either since he realized it was something she would always carry with her. Instead, he simply held her and whispered in her ear that he was there and would always be there, that he loved her and she was strong. He held her tightly until she settled some in his arms, her hand slowly going back to playing with his collar. "Mine is that I'm back in the cave. Sometimes it's all dark like I have the bag over my head... sometimes it's not, because they have a gun to Pepper's head and I have to save her. I never make it to the end of that one, though. I suppose you could say mine are memories wrapped up in nightmares."

"We're both damaged... we both had absent and now dead parents... how are we supposed to be good parents, Tony? I'm scared." Nothing scared her, the admittance of her being scared was enough to worry him.

"Because we've been through it and don't want our kid to have to go through it. We won't be them because we had to deal with them." Tony said, determined that she understand he was not his father and never would be. "Jess, I'm going to love this kid like I'm going to lose it. Everyday. I will never take them for granted, I will always be a present father whether I'm busy or not. I won't let work take over like my dad. You won't inject spider serum into and then leave our kid in an incubator and never come back. See? We can do this!" His smile was wide as he realized he had made her laugh, never quite sure if his dark humor would tank or make people laugh.

"Don't give up on us, I promise I won't." Tony kissed her forehead and laid her down next to him, letting her get comfortable with her back pressed against his front. She drug his arm so it was slung over her waist and she felt at peace for a moment. His hand moved so it was splayed across her small stomach, his large hand covering it almost protectively. "I will keep you both safe, we're going to be fine."

Jess turned so she could see the man, her heightened emotions making the love she felt for him wash over her fiercely. She kissed him, closing her eyes and putting her hand over his.

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**A/N:** Had to add in the hundreds of spider babies after getting my first review lol! Thought it was funny! The next chapter issss... not going to be cute. So sorry.


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N:** Sorry, not sorry. But this is going to be a hard chapter to write and to be honest, I'm avoiding some conflict because I am awful at fight scenes. Took the easy way out BUT I will still try to make it as good as possible! Alsoooo... there's another A/N at the end of the chapter so I don't give anything away but if you have a question about something while reading, the answer mayyyy be at the end.

**Disclaimer:** as always, I don't own Marvel, MCU or any characters in this. I am not getting paid, no copyright, yada yada.

* * *

"What about this one?" Jess looked away from the mirror to focus on him, frown still in place as she hid her stomach behind her arms. She was only at the beginning of her second trimester, she wasn't showing a lot. Logic told her that, and the doctor's measurements... but her stomach seemed so... big.

"If you're going to wear a black suit, you know almost anything will look good." Jess reminded him with a roll of her eyes, going over to him and looking at the green tie he was holding up. She reached behind him in the massive closet and held out a dark red one before putting it on the dresser in front of him. "You know red is your color." she teased, letting him pull her closer so they could kiss. Smiling through the kiss, Jess pulled back and gestured down to her green dress. "How about this? Does this say 'you're welcome we saved your ass Fury and I'm pregnant not fat.'?"

It was a dinner that SHIELD had decided to throw in their honor, which the other Avengers who had been around since the very beginning thought was funny because when they saved New York from being blown to pieces, there was no dinner. She had to admit, she was a little excited to dress up... or she was until she put the dress on and swore she looked like a beached whale. Tony rolled his eyes, swatting her butt as she walked away from him. "No, it says 'Tony I belong on your floor'. And you're not fat! You weigh like a buck ten soaking wet, Drew." he promised, not noticing much change with her.

Jess looked in the traitorous mirror one more time before huffing and putting on her heels while she could still wear them. Placing her hand in the crook of his arm, she let him kiss her one more time, whispering I love you in her ear which made her smile before letting him walk her out the door.

* * *

It was well into the night when she realized something was... off. Her damn spidey sense that she didn't always pay attention to was making her frown and put a hand to her head. The men were having drinks while Nat was standing with her in a striking red number. She frowned and put a hand on the pregnant woman's arm. "Are you okay, Jess?"

Jess nodded, blinking and looking up. "Something is wrong..." Looking around, she didn't see anything right away... until she saw the man standing near the top of the staircase pulling a gun out. Flicking her wrist so the bracelet that Tony made her turned into her web slinger, she used her quick reflexes to shoot out and grab the gun, yanking it back. Snatching it from the air, she tossed it to Nat before looking over and seeing one of the board in the direct line of sight of a sniper. Using her slingers, she swung over to woman by the high railing and grabbed her by the shoulders. Bringing her to the side with her, she held onto the woman as she rolled, hearing the gun shots and seeing the indents in the floor right where she had been. "Run!" Jess snapped at her, pulling her gun out of the holster on her thigh and cocking it.

Looking around, there was mass chaos as people ran while screaming. Some stopping to take out their own guns, while family members were herded towards exits. "Jess!" She heard her name though the pandemonium, heard Tony trying to get to her as the others were protecting people as well. There was a little girl, crying with her teddy bear in the middle of the room as she looked for her mom. She didn't even glance back at her boyfriend, instead running over and scooping the little girl up, realizing there was a gun trained right at them. As quick as she was, even she couldn't dodge bullets that were already coming towards her. There was a clinking noise as Steve ran in front of her, holding his shield for the bullets to deflect off.

"Take her!" Jess yelled to Steve who hesitated, wanting to stay and protect her. "Go!" she demanded, glad that the man was transporting the little one to safety.

"You should've stayed at home in your web, little spider." The voice made her blood run cold as she turned around, gun knocked from her hands as a fist hit the side of her face. Grunting and falling over, Jess rolled so she was moving away from Rumlow, her arms up in defense. She was holding her own, refusing to go without a fight. There were multiple hands holding her, making her snarl and punch as much as possible, trying to free herself from the cuffs and arms wrapping her tightly. Her heart racing as she realized this was it, she would die here.

Looking around, Jess' eyes connected with Tony's. "TONY! DO IT!" she screamed, biting someone and headbutting the person behind her that had tried to start pulling her away. Her eyes were locked on Tony as he fought people of his own, his launcher out on his shoulder. She knew all it would take was one command for FRIDAY and she could be locked on and put out of what was sure to be misery... but he just looked at her with wide eyes, fear stopping him. "TONY... TONY! YOU PROMISED! YOU PROMISED!" she screeched, not caring if the others heard the fear in her voice. No! NO! She wasn't going! Not again! Sobbing, she kept fighting, looking now for Bucky. It was clear why no one could save her, they were all busy protecting civilians or getting attacked themselves. "BUCKY!"

She roared the last word she could, knowing he could hear her wherever he was in the mess. Her hopes raised a little as he found her, anger in his eyes and Russian curse words flowing from his mouth as he shot one of the HYDRA agents. There was so much regret and hesitation in his eyes, but his arm raised with the gun pointed at her. Jess nodded viciously, still struggling as the men dragged her backwards. Closing her eyes, she felt peace as something hit her in the head, assuming she had been shot as the world went black.

* * *

Unfortunately, life had never really been fair for Jess. She woke up with a headache, strapped to an all too familiar chair that made her groan. "I didn't like this last time, I decided not to vacation here anymore. Zero stars." Jess' voice was husky, her throat dry, growling as someone slapped her across the face, letting her head lean back to rest against the chair.

"You think you're so clever. You think you've been hiding from HYDRA this whole time."

"I don't think living in a tower that takes up half Manhattan is really hiding, do you?" She gritted her teeth as her hair was pulled by Rumlow, forcing her to look into the eyes of someone she hoped she would never have the pleasure of seeing again. "Ah. Vermis." The man who had originally had her captured and brainwashed, turned her into the emotionless shell that Arachne was. Asshole. "Can't say I'm happy to see you."

"Ты всегда был так неблагодарен, Арахна." (You have always been so ungrateful, Arachne.)

Jess raised her lip in a snarl, pulling against the restraints. "Да, все мечтают быть убийцей." (Yes, everyone dreams of being a killer.)

The HYDRA Supreme leader, one of the European ones, chuckled and sat down in front of her, just out of reach from her legs that were also bound. "Ты тоже всегда был бойцом. Я должен был знать, что просто заблокировать ваши воспоминания будет недостаточно..." (You too have always been a fighter. I should have known that simply blocking your memories would not be enough...)

Jess... Jess didn't like the sound of that. The look of disdain was clearly written across her face as the man gestured to someone behind them. "Не беспокойся, хотя. Мы исправим эту проблему. Эта слабость у тебя, один Тони Старк ... Мы пытались предупредить тебя, любовь была слабостью." (Don't worry though. We will fix this problem. You have this weakness, one Tony Stark ... We tried to warn you, love was a weakness.)

Jess thrashed as she felt something being put on her head, pulling away and glaring as someone (a few someones, really) held her head and another strapped it down. No... no no no. This was all too familiar. She worked to keep her gaze steady, not letting the fear and anger bubble over as she had been letting it do so freely at home.

Home... Jess would be lucky if she ever saw home again.

"В прошлый раз мы просто изменили ваши прошлые воспоминания. Более эффективным было то, как мы относились к Зимнему солдату." (Last time, we just changed your past memories. More effective was the way we treated the Winter Soldier.)

Not only were they going to brain wash her... they were going to make her a puppet, able to be pulled by strings. "Do what you want. They will kill me to protect others. I'm not worried." Jess said through gritted teeth, not bothering to speak in Russian anymore. Fuck him.

"Ah. But, that would mean killing the baby spider, wouldn't it Arachne? Are they infant killers now, these Avengers?"

Jess' heart almost stopped as she realized that even though she hadn't said a word, someone had found out somehow. It didn't matter now how, only that it meant they would somehow send her back. Jess tried to pull against the restraints, making one last attempt though she knew it was futile. What could she do now...?

"Rest, Arachne. You'll be going home soon enough."

Her yells were all she remembered, the pain and her yelling.

* * *

"Tony... why don't you eat something. And sleep. You're freaking everyone out..." Bruce said gently, watching as the man poured over the notes of HYDRA agents they had found and bases they had infiltrated.

Jess was at none of them.

Tony ignored him, not bothering to look up or listen to the others who were there as well. From what he could tell, the whole team was there, even Peter... except for her. His heart clenched, and he ignored that, too. "Stark... not sleeping isn't going to find he-"

"Then what?! What will?" Tony snapped, turning around, pissed off that no one would leave him the hell alone. "I'm sorry that no one else is taking the fact that my pregnant girlfriend has been missing for two months as serious as I am. No one asked any of you to be here." Tony slammed his hand down on the counter, not waiting for any of them to respond before he went back to the hologram that had the notes on it.

"Tony, that's not true and you know it. We all miss her and we're all doing everything we can. Peter is acting like he has pneumonia to be here." Steve challenged, knowing the man was hurting but not liking the fact that he was shaming the whole team. They were doing everything they could. Bucky was even working himself to the ground, feeling awful that he hadn't been able to shoot the girl. Not caring that Tony was still pissed at him for even trying.

_"I did what you said you would. I would've had the burden of killing a mom and her unborn child, but I would've accepted that burden because it was what she wanted. She knew you'd be a coward and would back out so she came to me."_

Oh, that had ended in a fist fight and Steve having to break it up.

"Just shut up, Rogers. What I do is nobody's business. If I want to die of starvation looking for her I will."

"Tony..."

Tony's head shot up as he heard his best friend's voice, his heart doing that awful clenching thing again as his eyes connected with Pepper's. He looked like shit... his eyes had dark circles under them, who knew when he had shaved last or really had a shower. His resolve was cracking as she walked over and put her hands on his face. "Tony... you need to listen to me. We have every available SHIELD agent looking for her, looking for leads. If we find her at this point, you won't be able to help save her. I need you- she needs you, to get some sleep. And shower. You smell awful."

Tony let Pepper smooth his hair back, realizing she was right... and he did smell awful. "I miss her, Pep." His words caught in his throat as he tried to choke back the tears. Luckily, Bruce herded them all out, understanding that they needed a moment. Pepper held her friend, letting him hug her and eventually coaxing him upstairs from the lab to shower.

"Guys... that was Fury. We have a lead... a real one. Suit up." Steve said to the others as he walked into the main common area after hanging up his phone.

"Stark will be furious if we go without him..." Thor hesitated, the others nodding in agreement as they looked at Steve.

"I know... but he won't be any help right now. He's too close to it. I know we all are, but we're at least rested and can make sound decisions. Suit up." Steve patted Thor on the shoulder as he started to the roof to get in the Quinjet, the others following behind silently. Tony was already out of the shower, falling asleep in his room by the time they had lifted off.

* * *

She didn't know how long she had been there... she didn't know where she was. It was dark most of the time, they threw her around quite a bit and she had bruises and cuts all over her. Eventually, she stopped resisting. After days turned into weeks, and she didn't remember how long she had been in small room or how long she had been cuffed... after she stopped having hope and stopped trying to remember how she got there and what was happening... that was when they came for her.

Jess blinked and raised a cuffed hand to block the sudden light that washed over her, moving to try to defend herself but remembering she was restrained. She flinched as someone pushed the hair away from her bruised cheek, surprised when pain didn't follow. "Jess... we're here. We found you." The strange accent had her blinking in confusion, not fighting back as the person picked her up, not realizing she was shivering. The light got brighter, causing her to turn her head into the man's chest, his long hair tickling her face.

"Let's go, Thor!" A well chiseled man yelled from a jet as he ran with her, making her close her eyes so she didn't throw up from the jostling. Once on the jet, there were too many people. Too many voices and people trying to touch her. Her heart pounded in her chest as she tried to pull away from them, realizing they all knew who she was but she didn't recognize any of them yet. The bruised woman tried to melt into the large man who still held onto her.

"Guys, maybe we should give her some space... I don't think she knows who we are..." The blonde named Thor mentioned, motioning down to the woman who was all but curled into him as a red head tried to get the cuffs off her wrists and a dark haired man found her pulse.

"I don't know how to check on the baby... she mentioned multiple times that even Dr. Cho had issues trying to hear the heartbeat. I'm not going to be able to on a jet."

"I think I can do it! " The voice seemed... friendly... familiar in a way she didn't understand. He seemed younger than the others, much younger. "Hi Miss Drew!" The young man stepped forward slowly, smiling at her as she turned her head to look at him. "Alright, I'm just going to check on the little one, okay? I didn't know you were having a baby! You never told me!" The boy named Peter looked upset, which made her frown.

"Were going to tell you soon." Where had that come from...? Jess blinked, not knowing why she said that but knowing it felt right.

They all seemed to look hopeful at her words though everyone stayed silent for a moment as Peter used his enhanced hearing, not saying anything for a moment. Jess held her breath. She forgot she could use her powers for that and was scared now that the baby, the only thing she remembered, was hurt. But then he smiled and nodded. "I hear a heart beat!" Jess let out of her breath, closing her eyes and letting herself relax some.

The moment they touched base, Thor was hustling her into the giant building and into a large, white room.

"FRIDAY, tell them we have her." The chiseled man spoke again, his voice sounding relieved which confused her all over again. She thought they were going to hurt her at first, until she realized maybe they were saving her? A part of her wanted to sleep, another was too interested and a little worried about what would happen.

Hands were all over her again, which made her flinch and grab the man named Thor's hand who instantly came close to her. "Lady Drew, it's okay. We're all here for you, you don't need to worry." he soothed, making her believe it for just a moment... until he looked up and saw new people. Another dark haired man and a woman with hair so red it was almost orange.

"I can't believe you left without me!" He said angrily at Chiseled Man, jabbing him in the chest before turning and seeing Jess. "Jess." The man almost sobbed, coming towards her which made her tense up and sit up more, pushing away the people trying to put a mask over her face and IVs.

"Tony..." Steve started at the same time Peter said, "Mr. Stark!"

Her gaze suddenly went almost blank as the others started arguing. Tony wanting to know why he couldn't come close to his girlfriend, wondering about the baby. The others telling him she was disorientated.

_Forgotten. London. Frozen. Nightingale. Iron._

"Tony...?" Everyone stopped fighting, the silence flooding into the room as they looked to Jess who was standing up and walking towards him.

The man named Tony looked relieved, smiling and putting his arms out for her.

_Emerald. Twelve. Fifty-two. Nine. _

The moment she reached him, her eyes narrowed and her arms shot out to grab his throat.

_Water spout._

She choked him, ignoring the people yelling at her and the people trying to pull her off. The only thing she could concentrate on was her mission; kill Tony Stark. She finally remembered what she had been waiting for, and her hands refused to loosen.

Being pushed back, Jess turned around and was face to face with the boy who had his hand clenching her hand. She growled and moved so she had flipped him and slammed him onto his back, being tripped by Peter and kicking him in the face to free her ankle. Going towards Tony again who was kneeling with his hand on his throat, eyes wide as Pepper asked if he was okay. Steve and Thor were both holding her back as she fought to get away, only stopping when Bucky hit her across the back of her head causing her to go limp.

"Was that necessary?" Bruce asked, worried as he hurried forward to help Dr. Cho once Steve placed her in the bed. Checking her vitals while Dr. Cho started an IV, he frowned to Bucky who was helping Peter up who promised he was okay as he leaned his head back to stop her nose bleeding.

"... Unfortunately, yes. Bucky was just like that..." Steve mumbled, running a hand over his face and leaning back against the counter.

"They did what they did to me I think... if they just altered her memories, she would've tried to attack all of us. I think they gave her trigger words, told her when she saw Tony to attack." Bucky agreed with Steve, sighing and his own memories coming to surface. "We're going to have to contain her. She won't stop trying to hurt him."

Everyone looked to Tony who sat on the ground, elbows on his knees as he held his hand up to his mouth. He looked so lost, and yet, he realized he couldn't let himself be lost. Not yet... not until she was really back. "The baby...?"

"I could hear it's heartbeat, Mr. Stark." Peter chirped, still upbeat as his words got muffled through the gauze he was holding to his nose.

Tony nodded, sighing and running his hands through his hair, hating that they had to restrain her. "Banner... when she's got the all clear from Dr. Cho, put her in the tank." It was the only way... if it was strong enough to hold the other guy... he looked up to Bruce who nodded gravely in agreement.

* * *

**A/N:** SO! Obviously a normal baby probablyyyyy wouldn't survive being tortured/shocked or whatever but again, I don't know how babies would be that have a super parent soooo this is what I came up with haha! As of now, the baby is fine. Will that change? I'mmmm not sure yet! You will find out as soon as I do haha! The reason I did this, besides drama, is because I feel like it's definitely something HYDRA would do.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N:** Thissss... has really become a beast of a fanfic in my eyes, jeez. I don't know what I was expecting but definitely not this many words or chapters. Hopefully it's keeping everyone entertained and I didn't fail too much on my first superhero fanfic! So here's the next chapter, honestly I don't know how many are left? Not a ton, but not two. So specific, I know. This one will be shorter though!

**Disclaimer:** as always, I don't own Marvel, MCU or any characters in this. I am not getting paid, no copyright, yada yada.

* * *

She hated him. He could see it when he looked at her, the way her eyes would track him as he moved from inside the clear "tank" like the one they had originally had for Hulk. It was on the floor below the lab (no way was he risking that Not-So-Jolly Green Giant crashing through the ceiling of his lab), and she was less than enthused to be trapped. Some of the time she paced, others she yelled and put her arms over her head. It killed Tony, seeing her look so confused. The part that stung the most was she allowed everyone else to go in, the moment he got to close she was glaring at him and cursing in Russian.

She didn't talk to any of them, only nodded or shook her head to respond to questions. Tony had refused at first to let Peter see her, saying it would be too hard to be around her when she wasn't really her. Scared that she would hurt him. Again. Eventually, he had broken down due to Peter getting mopey. "Fine, you're the one who will have to deal with the broken nose again." Tony had warned, though that didn't stop the kid from racing down the elevator. He was advised against going by Bruce, who had noticed she seemed to be more docile when he wasn't around.

"It's only been a few days, Tony. Give her some time." Steve patted the man on the shoulder before following after Peter, wanting to be there just in case. Tony felt useless as he watched in the lab, the camera they had installed long ago finally getting some use. At first, nothing happened. He watched for ten minutes as the boy spoke about school and new comics. It was exhausting knowing she was still ignoring everyone, it made him sigh as the boy tried to get her to come around.

"I'm glad you're back, Miss Drew. Everyone was worried." Peter yammered, sitting close enough that Jess could reach forward and hurt him in an instant. She stayed still, looking at the boy every once in a while but not speaking. Tilting her head, he watched as she seemed to be studying the kid's face. "I would take a kick to the face again if I had to."

Tony stood up, worried as Jess reached forward, seeing Steve moving as well though Peter didn't seem frightened. All she did though was lightly touch his still bruised nose, frowning and pulling away. Peter frowned back, reaching back out and grabbing her hand gently. "It's okay, you know we heal fast. Don't feel bad."

Jess raised her head to look at him, stopping herself from pulling away her hand and letting him hold it. "Didn't mean to hurt you..." she mumbled so softly, Tony thought he was imagining it at first. But the wide smile on Peter's face told him it had actually happened.

"I know, that was my fault. I shouldn't have grabbed you, I wasn't thinking. I just didn't want you to hurt Mr. Stark." Jess pulled her hand back at the name quickly, like a snake had lunged at her, her lip turning up in a snarl as she shook her head.

"Did I say something wrong? I'm sorry... Don't be mad."

"You need to stay away from him, kid. He's dangerous." Jess snapped, shaking her head furiously and getting up to pace, staring at Peter like a wild animal. "He'll hurt you. You need to be careful."

Tony was trapped between feeling relief that she had finally spoke and horror at what she was saying. He kept watching as Steve came over and entered, his hands up as Jess whirled on him before looking back to Peter. "Listen to me, he's not your friend. He'll act like he is and then when you're close, he'll turn on you. That's what they always do." Jess said quickly, putting a hand on Peter's shoulder and shaking him, though it was obvious she wasn't trying to hurt him. She seemed... panicked.

"Miss Drew... Jess... that's not true. He loves you... you love him." Peter tried to say calmly, flinching as Jess growled and shook her head, turning away from him.

"NO! You have to tell me you won't trust him!" Jess hissed, grabbing Peter by the wrist and looking at him, pushing Steve away who had put a hand on her shoulder. He had been surprised to hear the woman speak for the first time in two months, and then start spewing nonsense.

"Jess... you're hurting him." Steve protested, stepping in front of the woman and prying her hand from Peter. She looked up and stepped away from Steve, glaring over his shoulder.

"No! You can't have him!" Jess snatched Peter and held him behind her, feeling certain that she was keeping him from the danger that had just walked through the doors in the form of Tony. She pushed Peter back behind her as Tony walked towards the door.

"Tony, don't." Steve warned, putting a hand out towards Tony, turning back towards Jess who had her eyes trained on Tony. Reaching into his pocket slowly when he realized she was paying attention to Tony, he put his hand around the syringe that Dr. Cho had filled in case she had another episode.

"Jess..." Tony knew she could hear him as he stepped closer, seeing Steve but concentrating on the way she moved so Peter was behind her again. "What do you think I did?"

Jess' lip was lifted in a snarl as she barked out a laugh. "I _know_ what you did. They told me. I won't let you hurt him."

Of course, that wasn't exactly true... he just hadn't killed her. He would say there was a very big difference between the two but he tried to reason with himself that they had told her he was dangerous, told her to kill him. "I would never hurt him or you, cupcake." He looked at her hopefully as the nickname seemed to make her pause for a moment before she blinked and went back to scowling, still clinging to Peter, not paying attention to Steve.

She didn't say anything else, just kept glaring at the man who stared right back. Jess blinked as she felt something jab her arm, turning and collapsing at the same time into Steve's arms. Peter looked concerned but saw the now empty syringe. "Aw, Captain Rogers... she wasn't really hurting me. It would've been okay. Did you have to do that?" He looked guilty as he laid her down on the bed and pulled the blanket up.

"She wouldn't have let you leave, Pete. She's just... not Jess right now. She needs to rest anyways, she's been so wound up."

That made Peter sigh and nod, though he still felt bad. He had been the one to go in and bother her, he was the reason she had to be drugged. While it was apparent even to him that she was definitely not a hundred percent herself, he could still see the woman he had first met in there. The one that protected him even though she acted like she didn't care. No, she was still in there...

Tony was looking through the glass, feeling helpless and a bit hopeless as he watched the woman sleep.

"It's like watching boiling water, Tony. Watching her isn't going to make her snap out of it." Steve mentioned, coming up to stand next to the father of his Godchild.

"What if she never snaps out of it, Cap? What if she never lets me hold our child? What if she won't let me be there when she's having the baby?"

Steve had his arms crossed as he too looked in on the feisty, small brunette. "Bucky is optimistic. He was brainwashed far more frequently and for a longer amount of time than her, and he snapped out of it. He thinks it's just going to take that one thing to bring her out of it... once she is, she'll start separating the fear from the reality. As long as she doesn't have those sequence of words once we get her back, she'll be fine." Steve sounded so confident, which was normal. But the sound of desperation in Tony's was not normal, to say the least. "Just hang in there."

* * *

Thor had become a frequent visitor, one that while she didn't always talk to him, she at least seemed comfortable around. They were certain it was because she was the first one that had been there when they found her, though she could neither confirm nor deny the theory. He just was so nonthreatening towards her, almost like a big teddy bear, that she felt she could let her guard down.

"How are you today, Lady Drew?"

"I told you, Thor. You can just call me Ar- Jess." Jess. Jess. Not Arachne. She was free now, she could be herself. No more code names. Just Jess.

"Habits are hard to break, Jess. I'm sorry. Are you getting excited for the baby?"

Tony let his arms rest on his knees as he listened to their conversation, heart thumping at the mention of the baby. "I'd be a bit more excited if they'd let me out of here. Not the best place to raise a baby. Little too... bright." Jess was sitting cross legged on the bed as she spoke to Thor who sat on the edge of the bed.

He chuckled and nodded in agreement. "Ahh, yes. Well, uh... right now, it's safer to have you here. For you and the baby..."

"And him." Jess finished, sighing and leaning her back against the glass wall, hand resting on her stomach.

God, he wanted to hold her so bad... wanted to touch her stomach and talk to the baby. Wanted to apologize for a millennium if that's what it would take. Instead, he was forced to watch from afar, scotch in hand as another man comforted his woman.

"... That too. You see, murder is very much illegal and prison is also no where to raise a baby." Thor reasoned, making her smile at him.

"I... I can't help it." she whispered, Tony looking up and staring at her on the screen. "Everyday I tell myself to not react, to let it go. But Thor, I don't want to kill him... I _have _to kill him." His heart felt like it was being thrown from the Empire State building. "It's... it's better than I'm in here." She pulled her knees up to her chest and suddenly, she remembered being back in the kitchen in the same position talking to Thor. Jess gasped and sat forward quickly, her hand reaching out blindly and finally connecting with Thor's as he held her hand with worry.

"Jess? What is it? Is it the baby?"

"No, no. I- I remembered. Something. A memory... we were in the kitchen. Something had happened, I felt bad? Ashamed?"

Tony was standing, hand on the monitor as he held his breath. The first time she had a night terror... following the first time they almost kissed. Thor nodded enthusiastically, squeezing her hand. "Yes! That happened. You hit the Captain in the face. Do you remember the rest?"

Jess closed her eyes, squeezing them tight as she tried to remember. "I was wearing a hoodie... his hoodie. He wanted it back."

Tony smiled as he remembered fondly, holding her against the wall. "That's it, baby... you know me, come on."

Her face had confusion written all over it, remembering that he had her against the wall... but she didn't remember him hurting her, in fact, he had been being nice to her. Extremely nice. "I was being held against the wall I don't think he was hurting me. But then, Nat... Yeah, Nat came in. He put me down. I was okay."

Patting her hand and rubbing her shoulder, Thor tried to be encouraging. "Don't feel frustrated, you remembered all that. Like you said, he didn't hurt you and you were okay... does that seem like someone who wanted you dead?"

Jess shook her head reluctantly, the memory sort of fuzzy after that. "That's all I remember."

"That's okay. Maybe Nat can come in sometime and you guys can try to remember together."

The brunette smiled weakly at the man, feeling exhausted as she tried to comb through the fog and find the truth... but nothing else was coming through. She told herself not to attack the man, to ignore him if needed, but that she didn't need to kill him. She repeated it to herself over and over until she fell asleep.


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer:** as always, I don't own Marvel, MCU or any characters in this. I am not getting paid, no copyright, yada yada.

* * *

_"Kill him." You look down at the gun in your hand, frowning but holding it chest level to the man in front of you. Cocking the gun, you hear the small voice in your head telling you to put it down._

_But the voice snarling at you demands you do it. Pulling the trigger, you watch as the man slumps forward, making you gasp and drop the gun with a clatter as you realize it is Peter. "NO! Kid!" You scream, running forward and pushing the kid's hair back as your heart races. You killed him... "Please! No, I wouldn't do that!" you sob as you hold the gangly boy in your arms._

Someone was calling her name, a hand on her shoulder as she jerked away from it with a gasp. Sitting up and trying to get her bearings, Jess' heart thundered in her chest as she realized she had her first nightmare... the others had been memories. This was a straight up nightmare, she had killed the only person she cared about.

Well... the only one she remembered caring about.

Her eyes finally focused on the man who was standing beside her, a hand back on her shoulder as she eyed the Captain in front of her. "Are you okay, Jess?"

Jess nodded hesitantly, clearing her throat and looking away from his gorgeous eyes. "I'm okay..." There was something about admitting she had a nightmare that made her feel weak, something she refused to do. Not after she had felt so helpless while unconscious.

Steve seemed relieved when she spoke. She understood why, she hadn't really been talking to anyone except for Thor occasionally and Peter of course. Silence; it was a hard habit to break. When she was Arachne, or rather when she thought she was Arachne, she barely spoke for days at a time on occasion. Days without speaking, and then when she did, it was all work. Except with Jared. They talked about other stuff, though it still wasn't as in depth as most would think for "lovers".

But this time after being taken, there had been no conversations. It was silence or screams.

"Do you need anything?"

Jess started to shake her head before realizing she was sort of thirsty. "Can I trouble you for some water?"

Steve smiled softly and nodded, standing up and leaving the circular room. Multiple times she wondered why it was circular like a jelly fish tank. Maybe so it felt more spacious...? It didn't work. It made her feel like an animal sometimes, though in ways she sort of had been acting like one. There was nothing to explain, mostly because Jess had no way to explain it. She would be fine, though Tony's name would make her tense up still, she could at least function. But she saw him, and it was over. Her mind seemed to hone in on him and suddenly, all she could remember was the order.

_When you see Tony Stark, you will try to kill him. Every time. Until you succeed. _

Looking up as she realized Steve had said her name and was waiting for a response, Jess took the glass with a mumbled 'thank you' and guzzled down the water as she realized she was parched.

"I want to help you, Jess... I want you to get out of here. Want you to be around the family again, not secluded here." Steve told her honestly, using the world family so easily, sighing and running a hand through his luscious locks. "But I can't until we can find a way to undo it."

Jess chuckled and shook her head, holding the glass tightly in her hand but trying to remain calm. "You can't fix me, Captain... I'm damaged. I've done too much to deserve what you're proposing."

"Jess, that's not true. Before, things were gr-"

"This is now, Steve! This isn't before. I'm a monster, and I'm dangerous! I'm not a garden spider, I am toxic." Jess snapped, not even flinching as she squeezed the glass so hard and it broke, pieces of it piercing her skin. The blood had already started dripping down her fist and was landing on the ground. "You can't fix me... I'm a weapon now."

Steve had jumped up, looking around before remembering the AI system. "FRIDAY, will you ask Bruce to bring a first aid kit to help Jess, tell him she accidentally broke a glass. And to bring a broom. Also, please tell... your boss... that he's not needed and to stand down." Steve knew Tony would be watching or at the very least listening to the monitor. Seeing her bleed would be hard for him to see and not try to help.

Jess was staring at the floor, not responding to Steve's gentle words or him trying to pick the bigger pieces of glass from her hand so he could apply some pressure. "I... I didn't mean to..." Jess whispered, surprising Steve who thought he had lost her for the moment.

"I know, it's okay. You didn't mean to, this isn't your fault. None of this is your fault."

_All_ of this was her fault. "I don't deserve your kindness." she said firmly, pulling her hand away from him gently and letting it hang by her side.

Steve knelt on the ground next to the bed she was still sitting on, not sure what to say for a moment. "There are times where we all think that... I understand why this is your time. However, you aren't the only assassin with a past on this team, you probably won't be the last. We have all made mistakes, some of us made them willingly... some of you were forced. Jess, please, let me take care of you. You're not alone anymore."

Tony had forgotten to breathe as he listened to Steve, feeling helpless as Jess sat bleeding and thinking she deserved it. The other man's words made him chuckle a bit; Steve always knew what to say. That theory was proven as Jess waited a minute or so before she let Steve grab her hand again. He tried to see how much glass was in it but it was hard, he had big hands. Instead, he focused on the woman in front of him, trying to find their Jess through the mess HYDRA had made. It had taken a long time for her to feel comfortable, for her to talk about how she felt... but she never gave up. The Jess in front of him looked lost, to put it simply.

"Is he going to be mad about the glass...?"

Steve ran a thumb over the back of her hand, almost asking who she was speaking of but realizing she meant Tony. She never used his name, even someone else saying it would make her tense up. "Nobody is mad, he's definitely not going to care about a glass. He will probably care about you."

She made a sound of disbelief, shaking her head. "Why would he care about me? I tried to kill him."

"Listen, if he stopped caring about people that had tried to kill him, he wouldn't have any friends or people to care about. I think he makes trying to kill him a requirement to be in his life."

That made Jess smirk a little, not used to the man being anything but serious. They both looked up as Dr. Banner entered with a bag and a broom, a frown on his face. "Is everything okay?"

Steve noticed the smile evaporating off her face as the other guy came into the tank, able to visibly see the difference in her comfort level. "Yeah, she'll be okay. Forgot her own strength and broke a glass is all."

As Steve and Dr. Banner started talking, the latter moving closer and speaking to her (though she didn't hear his questions), Jess blinked and chased through her memory bank as she realized something. "You're one of his best friends." It was a statement, not a question.

"What?" Bruce looked to Steve, as if he could decipher the random sentence.

"You're one of his best friends. A genius, that's why you get along. He said once that the only person he'd trust to heal me besides Dr. Cho is you." The words came tumbling out before she could filter them and try to understand them herself. It had obviously clicked for the dark haired man because he looked stunned that she had spoken to him finally. They all seemed to be surprised when she spoke, like she had been mute before. It was weird for her.

"... Yes. I suppose I am. Tony said that?" He seemed flattered, blushing a little and taking a moment to realize Steve was putting a hand on Jess' elbow as she hissed at the name and closed her eyes. Bruce glanced up at the camera that was hidden. "Sorry, I didn't mean... okay, let's get you healed." Bruce walked forward to sit in the chair in front of her and patted his knee, proud of the progress as Jess slowly let her hand rest in front of her on his knee.

Steve clapped the man on the back before exiting, promising he'd be close if he was needed. Jess didn't know if he was offering to her or to him.

At first, Bruce worked quietly. Taking pieces of glass out and talking to her softly. He explained that they were working on different medicines for her and Peter, antibiotics (though he was certain they could fight off most infections) and pain medicines, along with some others just in case. Every once in a while he would wipe a cut with some alcohol wipes that stung. "Since we're swapping memories... he once said to me that he had never felt the way he feels about you towards anyone else."

Jess looked away, sighing. "I feel the same way." The man looked up with wide eyes. "I've never wanted to kill someone like I want to kill him." His face fell as he cleared his throat and tried to fix his expression, realizing Jess had picked up on it and was looking away ashamed. "I... I didn't mean that like it came out. I wasn't trying to be a bitch. I just... I haven't felt this before. It's a raw, burning passion to act."

"I think they call that love, cupcake." Jess jerked away at the sudden voice, looking around and not seeing him but feeling disorientated as she moved away from Bruce. She was kissing Tony, he was covered in blood and she told him she loved him. They were ice skating, he caught her before she fell. Every image that came to mind, he wasn't hurting her. She was laughing in some of them, kissing in others... were these memories coming back to her...? She yanked herself from them, watching as Bruce looked towards the ceiling, talking sternly back to the man who could be heard but not seen.

"Tony...?" she whined, the word both soothing her yet burning her as she winced and looked around. As if he would appear next to her. There was a small part that wanted him to so she could hug him... but the bigger part still wanted him to so she could kill him.

"Jess... please... let me come see you. It's killing me not being there for you. It'll be okay, we can take it slow. Just... please." He was desperate to hold her.

She shook her head, fear creeping back in. "I won't let myself kill anyone else. Even you." Jess gasped as she closed her eyes tightly and worked through all the things going on in her head. Bruce coaxed her back over to the bed once the ceiling went silent at her last words, letting him continue fixing her hand.

"I think some of these could do with some stitches..."

"But they'll be healed by tomorrow." Jess finished his thought as he nodded.

"I am going to wrap your hand, though." Bruce made sure all the glass was gone before disinfecting the wound and wrapping it in gauze. Taking out an ACE wrap, he wound the tan bandage around her hand so it was snug but not tight. "We'll check on it again tomorrow."

"... Dr. B- Bruce... thank you. I really am sorry."

Smiling and nodding at her, Bruce grabbed the broom and started sweeping up, "You don't have to apologize to me about breaking anything, Jess. Any of the others will tell you as they laugh how much damage the other guy has caused."

And somehow... she knew who he was talking about when he said the other guy. "I think... I think I'm remembering some things. I don't know if they're memories though. It's like everything I need is a few feet in front of me, I can reach it but when I try to grab it it's behind a locked door." Jess growled, frustrated as she sighed and sat on the bed.

Bruce nodded, looking like he was thinking of what to say before shrugging at her with a small smile. "One day at a time. I think we both know the only person who can help you with knowing if those are memories, is him." He nodded to her before grabbing the broom and dust pan, medical bag on his shoulder.

He was right... she knew he was right. She looked up at the ceiling, battling her inner thoughts as both sides of her wanted him to come down for completely opposite reasons. No... it would have to be when she was more in control.

Steve and Tony stood in the lab, watching the conflict on Jess' face as she paced the room, shaking her head and wringing her hands. "I need to get inside, Captain. I need to be face to face with her. It'll help... maybe not right away, but it'll help."

"Tony..."

"Just hear me out; if she'll consent to it, we can have you and Thor and even the kid there to keep her calm and hold her. Just let me talk to her, see if I can say anything that will jar her memory. If not, we'll stop and wait to give it another try. Sitting here waiting for her to have an epiphany isn't working. What do we have to lose?"

Steve stood with his hands on his hips, frowning as the man said it all so casually. "Everything, Stark. We have everything to lose."


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N:** Eeeek! Chapter 20?! Crazy. Hold on to your seats, kids. It's going to be a bumpy ride!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything Marvel or MCU, just my plots.

* * *

Jess felt nervous as she looked at the red head in front of her, shaking her head at first as she realized what they were asking. "It's not a good idea. Just because I have no weapons doesn't mean I can't kill someone. It's dangerous enough just having him in here, but you'll run the risk of whoever else is in here getting hurt."

They had explained the idea and she had instantly shot it down. The first three times one of them would bring it up, she wouldn't even talk. Just shook her head and ignored them. This time, Nat had come in to sit with her and like with all of the others, she had remembered bits and pieces of memories. With Nat, she remembered vaguely shopping with the woman and getting threatened by her. But her spidey sense (named thanks to Peter) didn't tingle when she was around Nat, that was normally the way she could tell if someone was trouble.

In fact, she had tried to use that to snap herself out of this strange limbo she was in. Tried to tell herself that her spidey sense didn't go off when he was around so it was obvious he wasn't bad. And she had worked through that part, honest! It wasn't that she thought he was bad, she just lost herself every time he was close by no matter how hard she repeated not to hurt him in her mind.

"Jess, please. Just... consider it. You've been in here almost a month. You only have a few months until the baby is born, do you want to be stuck in here with a baby?"

Jess swallowed hard and looked at the other woman, shaking her head. "No, if I'm still like this you have to take the baby and keep her out of here. I'm not going to put the baby in harm's way. Even if I cry or scream or threaten, you have to keep the baby out." Jess said firmly, already feeling the loss even though it hadn't happened. Just the thought of not being able to see her child grow up... it didn't make sense to her why she was already so attached. She hadn't even wanted kids, wasn't even sure she wanted this one. What had changed?

_"I will love this child more than anyone has been loved in this universe."_

Jess blinked as the words came to her, knowing for a fact they had been from him. The memory was making hope ooze in, was making her look up at Nat. "This might be our only chance, Jess. Please, let us try to help."

Closing her eyes, Jess raised her hands to her forehead as she laid in her bed. Contemplating all the options, knowing nothing else had worked. Remembering what Bucky had said to her when he had came to see her. It had only taken one thing to break him from his trance. Sure, it took longer for him to work through everything, but only one to snap out of it long enough to save his best friend.

"Okay..." Nat looked at her in surprise, certain she would keep denying the idea. "The kid keeps me grounded, he needs to be here. I don't think Bruce should be here because if things go south, well... we don't need to break the building. Thor and Steve should be holding me, and I should maybe even be strapped down." Anyone who didn't know her would've laughed as she listed what she needed to feel comfortable, but Nat knew better. The woman was strong. Could lift several tons and snap an arm in half with a flick of her wrist. Peter was the same way.

"I'll go tell the others the game plan... don't look so worried. You're not alone." Jess smiled weakly and opened an eye to peek at her friend. It didn't make sense to wait any longer. Whatever was going to happen, was going to happen.

* * *

"Maybe this wasn't a good idea..." Jess protested as she was being held by Thor and Steve, Bucky hovering nearby just in case more man power was needed. They had all refused to strap her down, reminding her that she might have flashbacks of HYDRA since they had strapped her down. At the moment, the men's grips were loose on her since she was still in her right mind.

"We are so close to having you back, we have to try." Nat said firmly from her place by the door with Peter. It was true, she had slowly come to the point where she was comfortable with the whole team. Talking to them, spending time with them. While it wasn't exactly like it used to be, it was better. It would keep getting better with time, Bucky had reassured her.

He was her only obstacle.

Jess closed her eyes and nodded, urging herself to try to put it all behind them. To break the repeat button in her brain that had her going crazy every time he was near. Her spidey senses tingled immediately the moment before she heard the door to the main room open. Not in danger, she reminded herself. The tingling wasn't the same kind as when she was in trouble.

"Start on the outside, Stark." Jess hardly flinched as she heard the name, noting that was progress. She also hadn't started freaking out even though logically she knew he was in the room. She urged herself to keep finding loopholes. Apparently she actually had to see him to freak out. So, she kept her eyes closed as her heart beat quickened.

"Jess..."

Her heart raced more and she let out a strained growl from between her clenched teeth. Keeping her eyes closed, trying to get herself to relax the tension, she nodded, hoping he would get the drift. Every muscle in her body was tensed as she willed herself to stay in the chair and not fight the men holding her back.

"When we first met, you thought I was a robot and trying to hurt the kid. You protected him from me... do you remember?"

Her lip twitched as she kept her eyes squeezed shut, the memory fuzzy but there. "Even back then I knew not to trust you." Jess swore under her breath as soon as the words left her mouth. _Not true, not true. He loves the kid. _Not realizing the men had tightened their grip on her, not realizing that it was quiet enough for the people without enhanced hearing to hear a pin drop. Only focusing on trying to stop convincing herself the man needed to die, had to die.

"You're going to have to trust us. Trust the guys that they can hold you back, trust yourself that you don't need it, and trust me that I won't hurt you." Stark said softly, inside the circular tank now, his voice was clearer. She was so tense it was beginning to ache.

"I'm not afraid of you." she snarled, not pulling against Thor or Steve now. Her head was angled towards where she knew he was at, eyes still shut.

"That's good. You don't have to be. I would never hurt you, or Tony Junior."

Her fingers twitched as she huffed and shook her head. "No juniors!" The words were out before she knew she had said them, her eyes opening and instantly seeing red as she locked onto the man in front of her.

It was insanity for a moment as everything happened at once, happened quickly. She started pulling away from the men, pulling them and the chair with her for a few feet before Bucky added his strength to the mix and she was halted. Peter and Nat were coming towards her, trying to sooth her with their words that she ignored as she kept her eyes focused on getting to Stark.

"Jess! Stop!" Thor said through gritted teeth, surprised by the strength the small woman had. "Think about the baby!"

"He'll just betray it!" Jess hissed, not looking away as Tony stayed quiet and watched her. "He'll just betray it like he did me!"

Tony pushed Nat away gently who had a hand on his shoulder, walking forward so he was only a foot away from her which only fueled her anger more. "How?"

Jess was panting but not giving up, still pulling and resisting against everyone. "You should know. Coward!" Jess yelled, watching as the dark haired man looked... ashamed?

"Let her go."

Everyone stopped at once, even Jess. "... I'm sorry, what? Do you not see how this was a bad idea? She's going to kill you." Steve snapped, shaking his head and keeping his firm hold on Jess' arm.

Even Jess nodded in agreement. "I will."

"Then, I guess you will. Capsicle, Point Break, uh... metal... arm? Let her go."

They all started protesting at once, Jess staying quiet as she stared at the man, not understanding what he was playing at.

"I let them take you." Jess tensed up at his words, eyes narrowing as she stared at him. "I didn't kill you, that's why you hate me. That's why you can't get past this command they've given you. Because you're mad at me, too. Not just brainwashed Jess, but real Jess. Every time you see me, you're reminded that I couldn't give the order to FRIDAY."

Jess snapped at him to shut up through her teeth, refusing to look away from him as she pulled even harder against the men restraining her.

"When you say you can't trust me, there's honestly a part of you deep down that believes that. That you will believe even after we break you free from this mind zoo you're caged up in." He looked... tired. Tired and sad, his words grating against her as she looked away from him. She clenched her fists and managed to swing on Thor who had loosened his grip, freeing herself enough that she could squirm free and slam her head into Bucky. Enough to break free for long enough to tackle Stark to the ground, hands going to his neck. So close.

"I will love you until my last breath, Drew..." Her hands hesitated in tightening around his neck, pausing for just a moment as the memory on the roof hit her. She tried to blink it away. "Red and yellow is my thing... was my thing... until you came crashing into my life." he spluttered out as she held his throat.

Jess let herself be pulled off him as everything seemed to come flying back at her at one time. Putting a hand to her head as she gasped, and let everything flow back into her brain. He loved her... and she loved him. True, raw, passionate love. "Tony..." Jess managed to sob out, tears starting to roll down her face that confused everyone enough that they didn't stop Tony who was immediately by his girlfriend's side and pulling her into his embrace. She was quickly inconsolable as she cried and held onto Tony's shirt for dear life, not hearing when he asked them to leave so she wouldn't be embarrassed later and got snippy when they refused.

"She just tried to kill you, Tony. We at least need a few people to stay just in case... with Bucky it wasn't an immediate thing where he was a hundred percent better. She could relapse."

"You make her sound like a drug addict." Tony scowled but went back to stroking Jess' hair who was sobbing and soaking his shirt with tears. "Shh, shh... cupcake... easy. It's okay. I'm here."

"You... left... me." She said between gasps of air, looking up at him with a defenseless look that broke his heart in two. "You let them... take me... you promised. I thought they... killed... the baby. Every hit... and shock... and bruise."

Thor, Bucky, and Steve (the only ones who had stayed) were all looking at the back of head with grave looks, feeling useless.

"I know, I know baby. I'm so sorry... I just couldn't. I couldn't, how could I? How could I give up on the two things in my life I never thought I deserved? After the baby, I... I couldn't keep that promise and I hope one day you'll forgive me... I was just trying to keep you both alive." Tony choked out through his own tears, hating that the others were still there but eventually not even recognizing that they were. He held her to him, whispering sweet nothings into her ear as she continued to cry.

Bucky had remembered how tough it had been when the emotions for Steve hit him again. Of course, it wasn't nearly as hard as the ones for a boyfriend would be so he couldn't imagine what she was really going through. Turning around to try to give them some privacy, the other two followed suit and faced away. Steve had clasped a heavy hand on his shoulder, apparently remembering what they had gone through, too.

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry I almost killed you. And I hurt the others... I'm a monster. You can't trust me now, To-Tony." Jess managed to get out after a few minutes, still breathing unevenly as the memories trickled in. "You need to... to keep me in here. If I have a nightmare now..." It could potentially be catastrophic... the last words weren't said out loud, they didn't need to be.

"I've been working on a few things while we've been getting you back, Drew. You don't need to be in here forever, it'll all be okay... we'll be okay." Tony whispered huskily in her ear, sitting on the ground now with his arms wrapped around her, one hand smoothing back her hair as he sat in complete bliss. It was a feeling he would never let himself forget.


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N:** Soooo how we feeling?! You guys, I have 3 reviews! 19 followers, and 7 favorites! I seriously didn't even think I'd get 1. Thank you SO, SO much! Honestly, I'm so in love with the characters that even when this comes to an end (probably a few more chapters to go after this one!), I'm thinking of doing one shots. If you have any ideas, would love to have some prompts!

Putting in some cute Peter fluff because I've been watching interviews of RDJ and Tom Holland they're absolutely precious and you awesome readers deserve some, so here we go!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything Marvel or MCU, just my plots.

* * *

"I don't know if this is a good idea..." Jess hesitated at the open door of the tank two weeks later. While Tony had insisted she would be okay and to come out, she had refused and the other Avengers had seemed to side with her. She needed to make sure she was okay first. Everything had been fine, though. She had even had a nightmare and hadn't had an episode like she previously had. Instead, she was able to be woken up by Thor shaking her lightly. Everybody was now on board with her moving back to her room... except for Jess.

"Drew, I know you're worried but we talked about this. We have extra precautions." Tony explained, holding up the small bracelet like device. It would be able to track her heart rate while she slept and if it started to get too high, would alert FRIDAY who would alert Tony. Her room walls (and Tony's) had been reconstructed with normal dry wall on the outsides and the tank material sandwiched in between. Plus, Tony and Steve were the only ones who could lock her door from the outside to keep her contained. Just in case. Though, Tony was sure things would be fine.

"No one knows what words and sequence will set you off, Jess. You're safe. Even Bucky said you won't revert all the way back. Bucky remembered Steve enough to not try to kill him. I'll take that as a win." He was teasing, but Jess still looked apprehensive. Taking a step out of the tank for the first time in a month, Jess tried not to feel overwhelmed as the others encouraged her.

She was happy to see the kid next to her, always the one to keep her feet on the ground it seemed. He had his hand on her shoulder and was smiling that ridiculously wide smile he somehow managed to do. Jess grabbed and squeezed his hand, "Thanks, Petey. You're a great kid. And a great superhero." That seemed to make him smile even more. It was because of him she felt like she had a family... well, almost. She knew now from her memories that she really did see them all as family before. Determined to feel that way again, Jess had been spending time with each of them the last week.

Clint had been the funniest and had told her about his kids. "Most people think they're going to be bad parents. But the moment you hold them, you'll start wondering how you ever lived without them. It's crazy." He was needed on a mission and had taken off a few days prior after she promised she would let him know when she was finally free.

Bruce was the humble one, always asking her how she was doing and explaining to her about the medicines him, Tony, and Dr. Cho had been working on for enhanced individuals like Peter, Steve, and herself. He was so genuinely kind, she hadn't been around the Hulk enough to really see how opposite they were. He assured her that was a good thing.

Nat was easy to let her guard down around, easy to connect with. Nat had done her fair share of hiding emotions and how she really felt, and she was the one who really let her see it was okay to show them around the guys. Since she hadn't had kids, she had admitted to Jess that she had become protective of Jess and the baby. She was the one that the guys had to go through on the outside of the chamber when they wanted to try something new or talk about tests. It had surprised her that the badass, cold at times Black Widow was like her POA.

Bucky was the quietest. Had been the one to apologize the fastest. "I tried to shoot you, at the last second some asshole stepped right in front of you. I understand if you hate me or are mad at me. I failed you.." But Jess was just so happy that he had helped get her back, she didn't care that he hadn't killed her. (In hindsight, a very strange thing for someone to be mad about, really, not getting killed.)

Thor was a gentle giant, and she was already the most comfortable with him. He told her stories about Asgard and his brother, Loki, who she had yet to meet. About growing up on Asgard and how much pressure was put on him to be King, though he wasn't sure that's what he wanted.

Steve was Steve, always wanting to know if she needed anything, willing to tell her over and over again that everything would be okay. He talked to her about making short term and long term goals, he also would come in and exercise with her so she could burn some energy and restlessness off.

But her time with Peter was easily her favorite. The boy made up for her silence by filling it with all kinds of conversation. He would tell her about his friends, about school, explain about a new computer part he found or training with the other Avengers. How the weather was, what he and Tony were working on, who designed her suit? Tony designed it?! Well, he would help the man perfect it.

In the back of her mind, she could remember the memory. The one where she had pushed the kid away, tried to make him leave her alone. Being with him, though, made her realize how she could listen to him talk forever if it meant he wouldn't get hurt and she would be okay. He was the best thing that had happened to her, with Tony coming in a close second.

She knew that Tony wouldn't have it any other way. His visits were the other ones that she had slowly come to enjoy. It wasn't easy. At first, she would always wince a little when he first came into view. Would always try to pull away in the beginning when he would go to touch her. The man was patient, always looking at her with encouragement, not pity or disappointment. When she would start to have an anxiety attack, it was Peter she asked for. She would mumble sorry over and over to Tony when she saw him next and he was holding her, gripping his shirt in her hand like her life depended on it but he always told her it was okay.

Now more than ever as she stared at everyone who hadn't given up on her, Jess started to feel normal. Not a hundred percent because, hell, she may never be back to that though she told herself she would. It was her long term goal. Her short term one was to sleep in her room for the first time in three months. "Is everybody sure about this...? I won't be offended if someone isn't comfortable." She looked around, a warm feeling in her chest as nobody spoke up, all of them simply smiling at her as she took her first steps of freedom in what felt like forever.

"Come on, there's Thai food waiting upstairs." Tony mentioned, herding them all upstairs. Everybody groaned except for her and Peter. "You can thank Peter for recommending it. For the fourth time this month." Jess couldn't help but smirk and put an arm around Peter as they walked upstairs. Thai food was their favorite, bless him.

Surrounded by people where she was probably in the most safe place in the world, Jess let herself have positive thoughts. Not allowing herself to have the dark thoughts seep into her happiness. Not now, not today. Today was a good day.

* * *

Tony groaned and stretched as he woke up in the early hours a few days later, laying in the dark, silence of his room as he closed his eyes. It was Sunday, a day of rest. It would make sense for him to fall back asleep, it had to be early. Suddenly remembering Jess, he shot up into a sitting position, the blanket falling from his bare chest. "FRIDAY... where's Jess? And what time is it?"

"Good morning, sir. Miss Drew is on the common level, watching The Office. It's currently 4:17 AM."

Tony frowned, rubbing a hand over his face as he thought of his next move. Sure, she was an early riser. Always had been. But, early like 6. Not 4. "Pull up the stats on her Stark watch. How long did she sleep?"

"Overnight, Miss Drew slept for forty-one minutes all together. She fell asleep at 11:02 PM, woke up at 11:15, fell back asleep at 12:21 and woke up at 12:49. She has been awake since then."

The frown stayed on his face as he stayed sitting, his hand going through his hair as he thought about what to do. She had been out for three days, and according to FRIDAY after last night, Jess had only slept a grand total of three hours, four max. FRIDAY had been alerted to wake him if Jess' heartbeat started going over a certain BPM while awake and asleep, so he knew she hadn't had a night scare. Tony knew all about restless sleep, it didn't always mean nightmares and cold sweats. Sometimes it was just being uncomfortable, having too much on the mind. "Ask her to join me in my room, please." He laid back down as he waited for Jess to send back an excuse to FRIDAY, certain for some reason that is what would happen.

Surprised when just a few minutes later, there was a gentle knocking on his door before Jess slid it up, peeking inside. "Tony?"

"Hey, Drew. Come in." He curled a finger to motion her forward, seeing the exhaustion on her face that she tried to cover with a smile as she walked towards him. He patted the spot next to him, proud that she only hesitated for a split second before crawling onto the bed with him. "I couldn't sleep, thought we could talk some." Tony was happy to see that she seemed to be having a good day, moving so she was laying right next to him. Hand under her head to prop it up gently, smiling weakly at him.

"What do you want to talk about, Iron Man?" she teased, voice a bit husky as her hair fell to partially cover her face.

Lifting a hand, he waited a moment in case she didn't want him touching her before moving it forward and pushing the hair from her face. Tucking it behind her ear as he laid on his side as well, staring back at her. "How are you? Really? And don't say great or fine, FRIDAY's been ratting you out. You've hardly slept the last few days."

Jess scowled and looked at the ceiling, rolling her eyes before settling them on him again. "It's not that I'm not doing okay. I feel a lot better than I thought I'd feel..." Jess admitted, letting her finger make a design on the sheet that they laid on, eyes fixed on the bed for a moment as she gathered her thoughts. "All I feel like I did was sleep in that tank, I feel restless. Everyone keeps telling me to get rest, but I don't want to rest. I want to do things. I've been resting for months." Okay, and she was exhausted. When she was downstairs, she didn't have to worry about sleeping. While it wasn't perfect and she was still worried about waking up in robotic mode, she didn't have to worry about hurting anyone.

Not like she did out here. She had thought about asking FRIDAY to lock her door just in case after she had dozed off a few times but couldn't get back to sleep. That was when the questions started cramming into her brain. Would she be able to be Spider-woman again? She was about to have a baby, she was probably too pregnant at almost seven months to fit in her suit almost certainly. Plus, Tony would shit a kitten if she was swinging from buildings. Was she really ready to be out? Was she even ready to be a mom?

No, it was easier to just... not sleep. She would just stay awake all night, take naps during the day, and at least people would be awake or gone if she had an episode.

For now though, she was content to lay with Tony and talk, letting him tell her about what she had missed. Telling her about Peter's science fair he had gone to, Jess playfully saying he had done it just to have everyone fawn over him. "That's not true!" he had gasped, a hand to his chest. "I only wore the Iron Man suit to get there and that was it!" Jess laughed and shook her head, reminding herself to ask Peter if it was true.

Yet, when the man had fallen asleep next to her and her mind was screaming, begging her to sleep, Jess had simply stared at the man. Wondering how she got so lucky, how he had fallen for her... a broken, shell of a woman who didn't even know her story and was not even friendly. Every action Tony did showed her that it was impossible for him to be lying, he truly loved her... and she couldn't even sleep next to him because she was scared to hurt him.

Getting up from the bed quietly once she made sure he was fast asleep, Jess clambered back down to the common level living room to continue watching The Office. Sleep would just have to wait.

"Miss Drew... are you okay?" She had felt and heard the kid coming behind her but stayed silent. "Miss Drew? Hello? Can you hear me?"

"Yes, kid. I can hear you. I just am acting like I can't because I could've sworn I told you to call me Jess." Jess said, putting a smirk on as she turned slowly to look at his sheepish expression. A guilty smile on his face as he pushed his hand through his curly hair. "I'm fine, Pete. Just... watching tv..." It was too hard to admit even to him why she was up at the crack of dawn watching reruns.

"Can I watch with you?"

The brunette nodded, jerking her head next to her and lifting up the arm knitted blanket that was made of thick, soft wool. Peter burrowed in next to her, Jess putting a pillow on her shoulder so he could lean against her. "I think we watched this episode before."

"I know... we definitely have. But it's my favorite... every time Angela's cat comes crashing through the roof and they're trying to scramble up walls I can't help but cry from laughing so hard." Jess mumbled, feeling so tired but refusing to let her eyes close. She didn't realize Peter was looking at her from the corner of his eye for a few moments, feeling him looking rather than seeing him. "What?"

"You know, it's okay to sleep... you won't hurt anyone."

Jess didn't say anything at first, instead watching the show and thankful that Pete didn't make the silence awkward. "How do you know, Kleine Spinne?" she whispered, using the German nickname for him that only he had ever heard.

"Because I won't let you." Even though he was young, she could tell he believed and meant that with all of his heart.

"What did I do to deserve you finding me, kid?" Jess smiled and pulled him closer to her gently, kissing the top of his head, surprised that he let her and only smiled.

"Push me off a building?" That was enough to get her laughing, the laughter infectious enough to cause him to start as well.

* * *

When Tony woke with a start, worry clouded his face as he realized he was alone. "FRIDAY... where's Jess?" he slurred, standing up and walking out the door.

"On the common floor, with Mr. Parker." FRIDAY's voice sounded in the hallway as he made his way down the elevator and into the kitchen, not seeing anyone let alone his missing girlfriend. Before he could ask FRIDAY to recheck the building, he glanced over and saw them on the couch. Jess was laying on her side, asleep with a pillow on her hip, Peter's head resting on it. Blanket covering them both, Tony couldn't help but have to think how lucky he had been to find the kid on YouTube. The scene reminded him of all those months ago in the Medbay, when Jess had fallen asleep in Peter's hospital bed.

Peter opened his eyes, always a light sleeper, glancing over and seeing Tony smiling at him. "Oh... hi Mr. Stark... I should move." he whispered, looking around and seeing Jess still sleeping.

Tony shook his head furiously, putting a hand up. "No, no. Please... she hasn't sleep in days. Right now, you're better than NyQuil for her, Underoos. Sleep some more and I'll order breakfast in a few hours. You're a good kid, Pete." He leaned forward and rubbed the boy's shoulder affectionately as Peter smiled a sleepy smile and laid his head back down. Tony wasn't sure who loved the boy more; Jess, or him.


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything Marvel or MCU, just my plots.

* * *

As soon as things started to feel normal, Jess started to feel more restless. The upcoming birth was giving her anxiety, the sleepless nights were taking a toll on her, and Tony had started to threaten to have FRIDAY wake him up every time she gave up on sleep. She fully believed the threat and had taken to staying in her bed, staring up at the ceiling for hours instead of going to watch Netflix or go to the gym.

The one time she had brought up putting her suit on just to go patrol a small corner of Manhattan, they had gotten into a full blown argument that ended up making Bucky come tearing down the hall into her room. Stepping in between them, putting a hand on Jess' shoulder as she huffed and made to step towards Tony. "I thought you guys were killing each other." he had snapped, though they both knew that really meant he thought she was killing Tony.

"It's getting close." she had growled back, pushing past the men and heading down the hallway, the hormones plus the little sleep making her irritable. But really, who was he to tell her she wasn't _allowed_ to be Spider-woman!? She was not his dog, she could do what she wanted! After rationally thinking about things and petting Mochi (who had let her pet him, batting her hand with a pissed off meow when she stopped), she knew Tony was only trying to look out for her and the baby. What if her water broke while she was out? As much as she hated to think it, he was right.

The men seemed to be tip toeing around her, afraid that she would explode into tears or yelling, though to be fair she normally just glared at them until they walked away. Thor was the only one who seemed to not be afraid of pissing her off. Picking her up when she was grumpy and carrying her like a baby to piss her off, until she would eventually break down laughing. The giant teddy bear of a man was going to make a great dad someday.

"FRI, where's our fearless leader?" Jess asked, feeling extremely tired as she patted Clint on the back after walking out of the kitchen. They had been talking about the difference between fighting with a bow and arrow and a gun, convincing him to teach her when she was feeling a little more rested.

"Captain Rogers is in the gym."

That made Jess smirk as she stood in the elevator, snickering. Tony would love to know that even the AI considered Steve the leader, though he insisted they shared the title. "No, FRIDAY. Tony."

"Boss is in his lab with Peter."

Jess hesitated; she had never been in his lab. "Am I allowed to go in the lab?"

"You have access to all the shared spaces, Peter's room, and boss' rooms, including his labs Miss Drew."

Huh... good to know. Jess nodded, though she knew the AI system couldn't see her. "Okay... I guess take me to the lab, please."

When she made it to the lab, Jess stepped back as the doors took a moment to open, sliding apart so she could walk through. The scene in front of her almost brought tears to her eyes, though she would've just lied and said it was the hormones since that seemed to be a valid excuse nowadays.

Tony and Peter were both hovering over the workbench, Tony's arm slung casually over the boy's shoulders as Peter talked excitedly and showed the older man his plans for a new suit. Of course, his spidey sense had him looking up immediately, grinning and waving at Jess. "Miss Dr- I mean, Jess!" Tony had looked up nonchalantly and threw a smile at her that she couldn't help but return.

"Hey kid. How are my boys doing?" Jess grunted as she made her way to them doing what she thought was more waddle and less walk now. She swatted Peter's hand away as he put a hand on her elbow as if to steady her as she went to sit down. "I'm pregnant, not invalid." she scolded, leaning into Tony a bit as he kissed the top of her head.

"Mr. Stark and I are going over the design for your new suit- wow! I mean, it's just- it's crazy! Sure, the old one had gliders already but this one can glide twice the distance. There's a new design he put in my suit that we added to your's, and you have an AI and-"

"Slow down, Pete. Wait, my suit?" Jess looked between him and Tony who was chuckling and looking at the boy like a proud father.

"Yeah, well, it was sort of the kid's idea. And you don't have an AI and well, all the coolest Avengers have a personal AI, right kiddo?" Tony clamped a hand on the teen's shoulder who smiled sheepishly and shrugged, looking away.

"Well you know, I just thought... yeah, it was kinda my idea." Peter puffed his chest out, laughing as Tony rolled his eyes and cuffed him in the back of the head.

"Alright, alright. Let me see this new suit you speak of." The woman pulled herself up, ignoring the fact that Peter had helped her out. Looking at the diagrams, she was impressed. "Well damn, kid. You're going to miss us when you're ruling over MIT, right?" Jess smiled weakly, feeling a little dizzy but ignoring it as she pulled Peter into her side to hug him.

They both looked up as the floor parted and a glass cylinder came up from the hole, a suit in it that made her mouth gape. It was gorgeous... mouth still open a bit in awe, Jess stepped forward, tripping a bit but not noticing. It was like her red and black suit, but better. The crackles running throughout it were yellow instead of black with the rest of the suit being red. It looked so... supeheroish.

Jess raised her hand up, heart racing and feeling light headed still, looking back to make sure she had the go ahead from Tony. He nodded and she bit her lip, unable to hide the excitement she was feeling. She reached in and touched the suit, "So, this is what millions of dollars feels like..." Jess whispered, not sure why she was whispering as she closed her eyes for a moment.

It was so much more than just a suit. It meant Tony was respecting her choice to continue being Spider-woman after the baby was born.

"Put the mask on! You have to name your AI!" Peter looked just as excited as she did which made her grin.

Jess grabbed the mask and put it over her head, gasping as the digital screen popped up. It was so much more advanced than her HYDRA suit, and even her old suit from Tony didn't have an AI. "Welcome, Jess. I am your AI system."

Jess looked at all the digital read outs, seeing one that said her heart rate in red and was flashing a bit. "I don't know what to name her... maybe TUESDAY?" she teased, seeing Tony roll his eyes playfully. "It can stand for Tony Usually Eats Shawarma on Days Adjourning in Y. But really, this is so... cool." Jess settled on a word that Peter threw around a lot. "I mean, I know I was in your suit, muffin-" Peter couldn't help but choke back a laugh at the nickname, "but I was a little... preoccupied..." The world seemed to slow down as she paused where she was, hanging onto the work bench suddenly with a shaky hand, swallowing hard.

Tony and Peter stood up quickly, the former frowning and starting around the bench. "Drew... what's wrong?"

Jess managed to get her hand up to the mask in time to push it past her mouth, only barely getting to the trashcan before throwing up violently. She was caught as she fell to her knees by Peter wrapping an arm around her, Tony finally reaching them with worry on his face. "Jess! FRIDAY pull up her stats." Tony snapped.

"Miss Drew does not have her watch on, sir. However, TUESDAY may have been able to scan her."

Tony didn't bother to mention that Jess had been kidding and the new AI wasn't TUESDAY, instead asking FRIDAY to download what Jess' mask had picked up. "Her heart rate is 115, her normal resting BPM is 83. Her temperature is within an acceptable range. Those are the only vitals that could be extracted from TUESDAY since Miss Drew doesn't have the whole suit on."

Tony took the mask off, seeing the sweat on her brow though according to FRIDAY, she wasn't feverish. "FRIDAY, find Banner and Dr. Cho and tell them to meet me in the medbay STAT. Tell them it's Jess."

Tony reached down to pick her up but Peter shook his head. Of course, his first instinct was to think he was just a teenager and couldn't carry her. "I've got her, Mr. Stark. Enhanced strength and all that." The older man hesitated for just a moment before nodding tightly and putting a hand on Peter's shoulder to direct him towards the elevator.

"Stark..." Jess groaned, trying to squirm free. "Don't like..."

"I know, you don't like being carried. But just let us take care of you, it's going to be okay."

"You know... I... I like our kid... can we... Stark... can we keep him?" the woman mumbled, causing Peter to blush and Tony to be more worried about the situation. He didn't respond for a moment but ran a hand through her hair as she said his name again.

"As much as I'd like to say yes, we can't keep him, Drew. Both because he's not a pet, and he has a home." All he could think of was the fact that she was almost due with their baby and something was wrong.

"Oh... well.. I love him." Tony's heart clenched, really afraid that something was seriously wrong since he had never heard her say those words to anyone but him. And even with him, it was rare. He knew she loved him, but didn't think she would admit it out loud so easily if she knew Peter was still there. And carrying her.

"I... I know you do, babe. Try to stay awake for us, we're almost to the Medbay."

She hummed a response that he took to mean she would, though her eyes stayed closed.

"You know I love her, too... right Mr. Stark?" Peter's voice was small, worried, as he looked down at the woman in his arms. He had Aunt May, she was great. She'd always been like a mother to him. But now, now he had Mr. Stark and Jess. He felt pretty lucky to have so many great people in his life.

"I had a hunch.." Tony put an arm around Peter in a surprisingly tender half embrace. "I know she's delirious, but she means it. We both love you. If it wasn't for you, we wouldn't have her. It's because of you that I have a family. I have a great kid, almost two great kids. And a strong woman. I have everything I need thanks to you." He knew he didn't express his feelings very often to the boy, but just like he told Peter, he didn't want to be like his father. He wanted to be better.

Not that he was really the boy's father... Tony pushed the thought away.

Peter seemed overwhelmed with emotions and kept quiet for an amount of time that Tony was sure had to be a record. Hurrying into the Medbay, Peter laid Jess on the gurney as Tony tried to explain as best as he could what happened. Peter hovered near her side, his normally cheerful face solemn.

"It could be a number of things, we'll need to do a few tests. She didn't mention anything being wrong lately?" Dr. Cho asked, blood pressure cuff already on Jess' arm along with a pulse oximeter to get some readings.

They all looked to Tony who raced through his memory bank and came up short, shaking his head. "She hasn't been sleeping great, but the last few days have been better. We gave her a Starkwatch to track her-"

"Oh... you mean like this one?" Peter interrupted with a smile, tilting his head and raising his arm, showing off the black, sleek watch on his wrist.

Tony's hands went up to his mouth in almost a prayer position, fingertips almost touching his nose as he cleared his throat. _Don't be mad... _Tony reminded himself, knowing it wasn't the kid's fault. "... Underoos... why do you have Jess' Starkwatch?"

The boy's face changed almost comically as he realized what was happening, looking so guilty as he scuffed his shoe on the floor. "She asked if I could hold it for her a few days, said it was a new design and wanted to get some data... she did it so FRIDAY wouldn't turn her in, didn't she?"

Tony sighed, closing his eyes with his fingers pressed to his temple. "Why do you want me to die young, Drew?" he whined as he looked down at the sleeping woman with a scowl. He tried not to be angry, knowing it wouldn't change anything now and trying to give her the benefit of the doubt. "We'll talk about this later." he warned, wagging a finger sternly towards Jess before bringing his gaze back up. Bruce was poking her finger with a lancet while Dr. Cho started an IV.

Holding a small device in his hands, Bruce's face seemed to change from worry to a little less worried as he put a finger to his mouth like he was thinking. "FRIDAY, what has Jess had to eat today?"

"To the best of my knowledge, the last time Miss Drew was eating in the kitchen was this time yesterday. She didn't open the fridge or eat while she was in the kitchen with Mr. Barton, Dr. Banner. Would you like me to ask Mr. Barton just to make sure?"

"No, that's okay, thank you." Bruce showed the reading to Dr. Cho who's eyes widened as she finished taping the IV port down and went to a cabinet. "She should be fine, her blood sugar is dangerously low."

"With how high her metabolism is and being pregnant, her body was probably trying to even out her not having any food, probably happened too quickly. That and the sleep, not a great combination. But the good news is, we caught it. She should be just fine but we're going to keep her overnight to be sure. She needs to be eating more regularly. Probably at least five 'ordinary' sized meals. With some snacks in between." Dr. Cho explained as she gave the woman an insulin shot to the right calculation for her mutation.

"Thanks, docs. I'll make sure to tweak her Starkwatch to remind her if I have to."

Once they were done getting her what she needed, Peter sat on one side of her while Tony sat on the other.

"... Mr. Stark.. I'm... I didn't... I wouldn't have taken it if I knew."

Tony smiled grimly at him, shaking his head. "It's not your fault, kiddo. That's what I get for not installing her AI on it." Which would now be uploaded to it and definitely have override options for him so FRIDAY could get the stats. "Wanna help me add TUESDAY and a calorie intake checker on the watch once she's awake?"

That had Peter perking up and nodding, still holding Jess' hand as he started giving more ideas to the man. Tony smiled as he listened, nodding when he thought it was right and commenting every now and then.

When she finally woke up, she felt so groggy and disorientated. The dizziness was gone, though. She felt a little more normal.

"Welcome back to the land of the people who listen, Drew. A place that you are going to have to start becoming more familiar with."

Jess groaned and opened her eyes, looking to her left and seeing Tony but feeling someone holding her right hand. Her eyes darted to the form that was sitting legs over the arms of the chair, still managing to hold her hand. "That can't be comfortable." Jess commented, yawning a little as she noticed Peter didn't have the watch on and wincing visibly as his words made sense. "Oh, no..."

"You know what else isn't comfortable? Having a heart attack when your heavily pregnant girlfriend almost passes out and is throwing up in your lab because she made a kid a scapegoat."

Jess looked at Tony who was looking at her, not seeming mad, but looking exhausted. "Why did you do it?"

She took a moment to respond, knowing the reason sounded weak. "After you threatened to make FRIDAY wake you up every time I was awake, I felt bad.. like a burden. All you've done it seems, especially since I got back, was accommodate for me or try to make me feel okay. I didn't want to take away your sleep, too. So... I made Pete wear it so you'd think I was sleeping, and I've just been locking myself in my room when I do try to sleep." She did feel bad about lying, but she felt so needy lately. "What happened?"

"Your blood sugar was low, that's what happened. Jess, you already have a high metabolism and now you're pregnant. So, it's like you're eating for three or four. FRIDAY said you didn't eat anything today, is something wrong?"

Jess took her free hand, being careful not to disturb the IV, and let her hand rest over Tony's. "Stark, nothing is wrong... everything has been as good as I could hope for with everything that's happened. I am sleeping more, I promise. I just... when the baby comes... I know this is asking a lot since I could have an episode but... I think we should share a room. That way, if I have an episode, you can take her and keep her safe while I cool down. Less time wasted that way. So, you know, if you said yes, you may be having to be up with her a lot and getting less sleep... so I... yeah. I didn't want you losing sleep now." Once she started, the rest poured out of her mouth before she could stop, nervous to voice what she had been thinking about the last few weeks.

Tony had a poker face on as he looked at her which made her keep her face set as well, feeling apprehensive about her admittance. Until his lips turned into a smirk and he leaned forward to kiss the corner of her mouth, letting his nose rub against her's. "Are you asking to move in with me?" Tony mocked gently, raising his hand to caress the side of her face, surprised when she didn't flinch at all.

"I... we already live together... and we're having a baby so it's not a big deal. Don't make it a big deal." Jess huffed, a slight red forming over her cheeks as she leaned into his hand.

"For what it's worth, I don't think you'd hurt our baby- her, did you say?"

"Just a feeling... not sure." Jess smiled at him bashfully, showing a vulnerable side that to this day only Tony and Peter had managed to see.

"I don't think you'd hurt her even if you did have an episode... but I agree. I think we should share the same room. Not just for that reason, mostly just because I love you and want to fall asleep next to you every night and wake up next to you." When he said things like that, Jess was reminded yet again how amazing Tony was and how lucky she was to be one of the few who got to see the whole him.

"I want to, too... and I love you. A lot."

"Yeah? How much?" He teased her, his hand at the back of her head, massaging the back of her skull down to her neck.

"Mmmm... at least 3000... The kid is at a 6000." Jess whispered with a groan, wishing they could stay in that moment longer.

"3000, huh? Okay. That's at least a start." Tony kissed her lips, feeling whole again as he shared the sweet moment with his girlfriend, neither of them noticing that the Spider kid was now smiling widely as he kept his eyes shut, content to stay with two of the people that made him feel complete.


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N:** IT'S HEREEEEE. I gotta admit, the actual birth chapter is probably going to be pretty short, mostly because the muse is running a little thin with her being pregnant. The cute, fluffy chapters with the gang meeting the baby will be the next few chapters! ALSO; opinions are needed! Should baby Stark have powers?! Of course, he was bit. I don't think it's hereditary... but then there's also Spider-girl in one series where his daughter gets his powers. What do we think? Quick side note, as if it's not obvious since they haven't been in the story; Rhodey is still Tony's best friend but he is stationed overseas I've decided. Wanda and Vision are staying in Europe. Loki is... well, who knows.

I'm thinking this specific story only has 2-3 chapters left, maybe 4. I will probably be posting several one shots with them because I adore them. Anything anyone wants to see before the story's over? Here we go!

**Disclaimer: **I forever and always will be upset that I don't own any Marvel or MCU ideas. I would be a very happy lady if I did!

* * *

Christmas was in a week, Jess was starting to panic about ideas on what to get for Tony. She had presents for everyone else, even Happy and Pepper who she didn't see or know as well as the others. But what did you get for the billionaire who either had, or could buy, anything and everything...? Some of the others had tried to assist with a choice, all of them assuring her that whatever she got for him he'd love. That just wasn't going to cut it, though. She wanted it to be perfect... after everything they had been through the last few months, he deserved so much more than she could ever give him.

He had been mother henning over her ever since the blood sugar fiasco, making sure she was eating and getting checked by Dr. Cho frequently. Apparently, he had even paid the doctor a nice bonus to learn and take courses about delivering a baby as much as possible since they had found out. She had even found another doctor, one that also had powers, who worked as a midwife. While Pepper had voiced her concerns to both Jess and Tony, Tony had reassured her that this was the best option. That with Jess' powers, it was too much of a risk to have her in a hospital. Hospitals had records, online records. Ones that could be hacked easily. In the end, both women had decided to trust Tony, knowing he wouldn't put his girlfriend or unborn child in any danger.

Pepper had become close to Jess, which both confused and delighted Tony... unless they were ganging up on him, then it was annoying. "I don't get it. You guys have nothing in common." Tony whined as he huffed with his arms crossed from the kitchen, bamboozled into the trap to sign documents for Stark Industries by the two woman who had worked together to pull off the impressive feat.

Jess was sitting on the counter, legs dangled, hand on her big belly as she smirked over at Pepper, shrugging. "You." Pepper had been named the God Mother, next to Steve who was God Father. Pepper had been shocked, asking Jess if she was sure, since she was closer to Nat. In the end, Nat wasn't worried and had settled on being the awesome Aunt who spoiled the kid. Her life was too dangerous to be hauling around a kid, she had said. And it wasn't like she wouldn't ever see the kid, no matter who in the group they were with.

It was a quiet night, the whole team hunkered down on the common level. Thor was helping Pepper make eggnog and sandwiches, while the others sat on the couches or giant cushions that Peter had helped Clint drag into the Tower a few weeks ago. They were all playing Mario Party which all of them had groaned about when Peter recommended but were now all dedicated to winning.

Jess was leaning back against Tony, unable to get comfortable. The last weeks leading up to the birth were the most uncomfortable according to the doctor, and Jess could attest to that. Sleep when it came was so brief and so needed, it was like her mind was cutting her some slack and not making her go crazy. Squirming as she re-positioned herself against Tony, she groaned in discomfort causing the man to glance down at her with a frown. He wasn't playing, deciding to just watch. Of course, Peter had to tease him that it was because he sucked at it and Tony hated being bad at something. "What's wrong, Drew?" He brushed a hand through her hair.

She looked up at him, wincing as she did so. "I guess I should probably tell you my water broke..."

The whole room went silent as Tony simply blinked at her. "I'm sorry, what was that?"

"Well, you know, I was just trying to wait as long as possible because there's not much you can do, it's been a few hours... it's just that it hurts more now." She took in a sharp breath as she had another contraction, not wanting to squeeze Tony's hand, afraid to break it.

Instant chaos ensued. Pepper was laughing and crying, squeezing Thor's upper arm as the others stood up and started listening to directions that Tony was shouting. Jess sighed, knowing this was really why she had waited so long. To avoid all of this. Everybody was walking towards the medbay while Jess felt like a turtle on it's shell. "Guys! You're forgetting something!" she snapped, still struggling to get off the couch as Peter jogged back and helped her up. She swatted his and Tony's attempts to carry her, rolling her eyes. "Oh, honestly. I'm pregnant, not paralyzed. I can walk, thanks!" Jess protested. They all should know by now she hated being carried.

"Jess, why didn't you tell me?!" Tony groaned, an arm around her as she waddled with the others and did the practice breathing things that Dr. Cho's assistant had taught her.

"Because I'm not ready!" she whined, gripping his arm and looking at him with scared, wide eyes. "I'm ready to not be a whale anymore, but I'm not ready to have a baby. I don't know how to be a parent, Tony."

Tony hated seeing her look so petrified, squeezing her side gently as he chuckled. "Cupcake, I don't think you have a choice when the baby comes. No one knows how to be a parent before they are a parent. We're going to get through this, you're going to be a great mom and I'll be an alright dad, okay?" he teased, kissing the top of her head as they got closer to the medbay.

"Don't leave me, okay?" Jess panted as she held Peter's hand and squeezed, another contraction coming through painfully. Peter was talking excitedly as they marched her through the open doors, wondering what names they had picked out and asking people if they thought it would be a boy or girl. Jess wished she was as certain about things as him and Tony.

"Never." Tony promised, lifting her chin with a finger and kissing her lips lightly. "We're about to be parents, Jess. We can do this. We can take on anything this world throws at us." he whispered to her, smiling though she had a tear running down her cheek.

"What if I'm not good enough?"

"No parent thinks they're good enough, Drew. It's a fact. The fact that you're worried and want the best for our baby already makes you good enough. Now, darling, I know you've been holding this baby in... but I think it's time to let Baby Stark out." Tony was grinning, standing up as the doctor came in. She and the people she had hand picked had been staying in the rooms on the same level as the medbay for the last two weeks, wanting to be close just in case.

"Are we ready to have a baby?" Dr. Cho asked, smiling softly as the whole team started cheering and laughing, slapping each other on the back and hugging. "Alright, everybody. Everyone out that doesn't have the last name Stark or is having a baby." One of the nurses herded them out as Tony helped her get into a gown.

The next few hours were Hell. "Torture isn't as bad as this!" Jess had snapped at some point, glaring at Tony as he agreed jokingly. The whole time, all she could think of was how she would love and nurture a child? She didn't remember love, didn't remember what it was like to have parents who cared and were there. Jess had refused the pain meds from Dr. Cho since there was already no way to make sure the baby was healthy all those months. She didn't want another variable that could possibly hurt the baby. After everything that had happened, Jess was so sure something would be wrong. That all of their enhanced ears were wrong and the baby wasn't okay, wasn't alive. Crying as she was pushing, saying she was sorry as Tony continued to encourage her to push.

"Cupcake, I know this is hard and I know a lot isn't known right now... but Jess, you're so close. You're almost there and then we can know for sure, okay? You're the strongest person I know, just a little longer." He was basically cooing, his heart pounding so hard, Jess was scared for a moment that he was having a heart attack. Clenching her teeth and pushing while she yelled, Jess gasped and leaned back after she heard Dr. Cho saying she had done it. It seemed like everyone was holding their breath, waiting for any sound. Her heart almost exploded as she held her breath, letting it out as the baby finally cried.

Tony was crying, something that she wasn't used to, but so was she and she wasn't used to that either. He let his forehead rest against hers, not caring that it was sweaty. Pushing her wet hair back out of her face. "You did it! You did it, see? All that fuss for nothing, piece of cake, eh?" He smirked as she pushed his shoulder, laughing through her sobs and closing her eyes for a moment.

"It's a girl! Do you want to cut the cord, Dad?" Dr. Cho said loudly, and Jess was pretty sure that she saw what suspiciously looked like tears from the doctor as he stepped away for a moment. He was right back at her side, kissing her hand as he beamed down at her.

"They just want to check her real quick, make certain that everything is okay since they haven't been able to check her much the last nine months." Tony explained without Jess saying anything, seeing her looking over as if wondering what was happening.

"Here you go, she's perfect. I already took a little blood sample so we can check and see if she's got the mutation in her blood... congratulations you two." Dr. Cho whispered as she brought the already swaddled baby over and laid her gently on Jess' chest.

Jess' eyes widened as she looked down at the baby. Her heart melted the moment her little eyes opened and she made these little noises that just about broke her already melted heart. She had never even held a baby... now she had one. It was so surreal, she couldn't speak for a moment as the tears kept coming silently. "She's... she's so small." Jess managed to get out, swallowing and looking up at Tony.

"She's perfect." He declared, arm around her as he held her close, using a finger to rub his daughter's little cheek. "She's never going anywhere. Ever. She's going to be carried everywhere, want for nothing, and never cry to be held." Jess laughed as she held the baby in her arms, still mesmerized.

"You want to hold her, daddy?" Jess had taken on the whispering tone that Dr. Cho had settled with, not sure why but knowing it felt right.

The man nodded eagerly, thanking one of the nurse's who brought him a chair before taking the baby so delicately, it surprised Jess. She looked even tinier in his arms as he held her close to him, obviously having the same heart melting condition as Jess as he stared down at the baby in wonder. "We made this, Drew..."

Jess smiled at him as she let her head rest on the pillow, looking at the two most important people in her world. How did she get so lucky...? After all the absolute awful stuff she had done, how did she manage to land a family?

Part of her family was missing, though. "Can we move to a different room? I think she has a brother who wants to meet her..." Jess pointed out to Tony, who only nodded but didn't take his eyes off the baby.

* * *

"Wait, really Mr. Stark?! You're letting me be the first to meet Baby S?" Jess chuckled softly as she heard Tony and Peter walking down the hallway as she held the baby. It hadn't been hard deciding who got first dibs.

"Yes, kid. Of course. If it wasn't for your inability to let things go, we wouldn't have met."

"And Miss Drew is okay with it?"

"Peter, I will have Thor smite you if you don't call me Jess." she said sternly, but with a smile, knowing he could hear her from the hallway.

They rounded the bend and Peter's mouth dropped at the pink blanket. "Oh my gosh, it's a girl! Baby S is a girl. She's so tiny, but look how cute!" Peter walked over to the bed, grinning at Jess who grinned right back.

She handed the baby off to Tony before patting the spot next to her on the ridiculous sized beds, waiting for him to sit next to her just like the last time. "Come here often?" Jess teased, ruffling his hair up and pulling him closer to hug. Peter didn't even protest, too happy to care.

"Are you sure I should be sitting here? Are you feeling okay? Is she okay? What's her name?"

"Whoa, whoa. Calm down. Spider healing, kid. I'm just fine. And she's perfect."

"Of course she is, she's a Stark." Tony piped in, making Jess roll her eyes. "What do you say, Underoos? Want to hold the little sister you never had, wanted, or asked for?" Tony was looking at the boy with adoration, a look that Jess fell in love with every time she saw it.

Peter's eyes widened at his words, and Jess wasn't sure what part surprised him. The offer to hold the baby, or Tony basically calling him his son. Really, it wasn't that far fetched of a comment. Tony had worked out with May that Peter was here every weekend and on the holidays. Really, if he could've, Tony would've adopted the boy in a heartbeat. But they all knew (well, besides Peter who was still just shocked that Tony and everyone loved him so much) that Peter was like a son to him. Peter hesitated but ended up nodding with a smile. "If you're sure you're okay with it..."

Tony didn't answer verbally, instead he walked over and slowly put the baby in his arms. Automatically without having to be told, Peter made sure to support the baby's head as he looked down at her in awe. "Wow... she's so small!" Peter parroted Jess' words as he put a finger out to the infant's fist. Laughing quietly as the baby grabbed onto his finger, Peter looked up at Tony who was standing next to Jess with a hand on her shoulder. "She's strong! Just like her mom." Peter winched as Tony cleared his throat, making Jess snicker. "And- and Dad! Hi Baby Stark... my name's Peter. I'm going to be the best big brother to you... I'm going to teach you all the important stuff like how to build robots and sneak Poptarts after bed. I'll protect you no matter what, especially when your mom and dad are being mean. I'll come break you out."

His words made her already melted heart explode in a moment of feels. Glancing over at Tony, she could tell the same thing was happening to him. He had never looked as proud as he did staring at the two kids who had stolen his heart. Taking his phone out, Tony snapped a picture of the two to send to May (and secretly put as his screen saver), before motioning for him to get closer to Jess. Jess put an arm around her kid who was holding her other kid, looking fondly at the two before looking up at the phone with a tired, but happy, smile.

After Peter visited a little and Tony told him to let the other's know they would be able to come in in a little bit, Jess watched her boyfriend carry around their baby. Talking to her about quantum physics and gamma radiation, about mechanics and radioactive spiders... Jess realized the others were right. It turned out, Jess had the perfect gift for Tony after all. A gift that he had never had, couldn't buy, and would always love... she had given him Anya.

* * *

A/N: I didn't name the baby Morgan, because that was Pepper's family member and I don't know, it felt weird to me lol! Soooo, we just went totally AU and decided on Anya. Not for any reason but that it's another Spider person haha.


	24. Chapter 24

**Disclaimer: **I forever and always will be upset that I don't own any Marvel or MCU ideas. I would be a very happy lady if I did!

* * *

After Peter, Steve and Pepper were the next to meet the infant. While Jess assured Dr. Cho and Tony that she was fine and everyone could come in, Tony insisted on bringing people in in pairs. "Tony, this isn't Noah's Ark." she had groaned, but let him play the part of over protective boyfriend and dad.

Jess watched the interaction between the godparents and the baby, still a bit dazed that she was actually a mom. Pepper smiled as she stood with Anya in her arms, cooing as she talked in a way Jess had never done in her life... until approximately ten minutes after Anya was born. "Do you want a turn, Steve?" Pepper asked, looking to the man who looked hesitant, at best.

A smirk appeared on Jess' face as she realized he was nervous. "Don't tell me our fearless, Nazi fighting Captain is afraid of a six pound baby..." Jess laughed as the man did the best impersonation of a scowl he could manage. The man was too nice to make it convincing.

"I'm not scared of her!... I'm scared of hurting her." he admitted, making Tony roll his eyes.

"It's not rocket science, Cap. Trust me, I'd know. You just hold her and support her head. If I thought you'd hurt her, I'd be attempting to kick your ass. Here I sit, though." Tony pointed out. Even though Jess was stuffing her face with a burger, she managed a nod of agreement. Clearing his throat, Steve straightened up and nodded to Pepper. Gently laying the baby in his arms, his hand came up instinctively to support her head. Peering down at Anya, Jess recognized the subtle look in his gaze.

Regret. Longing. She knew about Peggy, knew how much he loved her. But, she also saw a hint of something curious; hope. It was something she had never known before the Avengers, but could recognize now. Steve was in love. Current love, not long lost love. Jess wasn't the type of woman to pry... didn't mean she wouldn't wonder. "She's beautiful, guys. Congratulations. You can tell who she gets that from."

"I know she's beautiful. Like me." Jess and Steve looked at each other with a look of horror as Pepper simply laughed, causing the other two to join in. "Alright, you hyenas, send in Barton and Romanoff." Steve brought the baby closer for just a moment, holding her to his chest in a quick cuddle before hanging her back to Jess. Though she, along with Tony, hated being handed things, it was obvious they'd have to make some exceptions.

"You know Spiderkid is forcing everyone to bathe in hand sanitizer before they come in, right?" Nat said in amusement as they walked in, wanting them to know how serious he already was about protecting Anya.

"Alright, let me hold that baby." Clint clapped his hands together softly after getting past Peter's sanitizing station and headed straight for Jess. Picking the baby up with no fear, he was all smiles as he held the little girl. The only parent out of the Avengers, it was obvious how great of a dad he was.

He held her with one arm as he talked to Anya about how she was going to be a badass - "Language!" Tony mocked in a loud whisper, taking a page from Steve's book- while Nat looked over his shoulder with a strangely familiar look in her eyes. Suspicious, Jess put a pin in it, thinking about Steve and Nat... together. Interesting...

"Earth to Drew." Jess blinked and looked to Clint. "I said how are you feeling?"

It was a bit of a loaded question, really. Mentally, she was worried. While her night terrors weren't as frequent or severe, they were still present. The Stark watch was good at catching when they were about to happen... but all it would take was her being exhausted and forgetting to put it on one time... She settled on how she felt physically, the easier option. "I'm alright, bud. Tired." The downside of accelerated healing was accelerated exhaustion, and constantly being hungry since she burned through nutrients so quickly.

Tony didn't look like he was buying it, but didn't push the subject. He had this way of just knowing when she was withholding information. Which she hated; she was the human lie detector, not him.

It took Nat a little longer than Steve to hold Anya, and she didn't look nearly as comfortable as the others. But, her smile was still there. "God, your parents are screwed, кукла (doll). All of these crazy aunts and uncles... you're going to be so spoiled."

Jess smiled at the thought, still not sure how she went from assassin to Avenger to mother. It had never even been a thought she had entertained. "Alright, bring in Point Break and Bruce." Jess couldn't help but sigh at his insistence on having them in pairs still.

The air in the room shifted quickly as the last group came in. Although she wasn't a hundred percent sure who the person was who entered with Thor and Bruce, it was obviously not someone Tony was expecting, or welcoming. "Why the hell is he here?" Tony snapped, standing in front of Jess and Anya.

Jess huffed, trying to look past him, only able to see Thor's massive arm. "Relax, Stark. My brother and I are only here to congratulate you both. No one will be harmed, we've never seen a human baby."

"Damn straight no one will be harmed because he's leaving. You're welcome to stay, Point Break."

"Stark, your daughter will not be harmed by my hand."

"Oh, okay Reindeer Games. Sure, I'll believe you-"

"Oh my God, shut _up!_ All of you! Stark, cool it with the awful nicknames. And move your ass out of the way!" Jess grumbled, happy when they at least went quiet. "Good. Now, Tony, move."

"Drew, the things he's done-"

"The things he's done were awful. He was a real asshole. I get it. But, I killed a lot of people... including a kid. I've killed a lot of people. If you can forgive me, why shouldn't he get the chance?"

Tony hesitated, she knew what he was thinking. She was brainwashed before she was a killer. Loki was not. "Thor is like your brother... he's family. That means Loki is going to be around. The least you can do is try to get along. Got it?" Jess growled, looking between all the men, including Bruce who was looking at the ground like he wanted to be anywhere but there. Jess knew he would keep an eye on the man, too. "Now, Thor, come hold your niece. Loki, my name is Jess, and if my spidey sense goes off, I'm kicking your ass."

Thor grinned and came over, kissing Jess on the head and hugging her sideways. "How does one hold a baby?"

"Maybe skip to Bruce...?"

Jess shut Tony up with a look that conveyed he was already walking a thin line. "Come here." She had him sit on the edge of the bed and held the baby up. "You just cradle her in your arms, head right there by your elbow." She helped him situate the baby like she had been doing it her life instead of the last two hours. "Look at you, God of Thunder! Holding a baby!" she teased, smiling at him. Tony snapped a picture of them, like he had with all the others.

Bruce had his doubts, just like the others. "Jeez, what is wrong with this team?! You all will dive head first into aliens but get a little scared over a baby?! Earth's mightiest heroes my ass." Jess laughed, rolling her eyes and watching as Bruce was even more hesitant to take the baby from Thor.

"Jess, it's okay if you don't want me holding her..."

"You all must also think I'm already an awful mom. No? Then don't you think I'd know not to let my kid be in danger?"

"I'd... I'd like to hold her. If you'd allow." Loki had come up next to the bed and Thor, glancing down at the baby with what she could only explain as fascination.

"No. No, absolutely not."

"My spidey sense isn't tingling. Why would he want a human baby?" Tony looked torn, staring at her in exasperation. "Tony, he's not baby sitting, he's holding her in front of all of us." Turning her head to Loki, Jess looked at him and studied him for a moment. "If I'm wrong about you, you'll regret being born." Jess said in a deadly quiet voice, nodding at Thor to pass the baby.

It was so funny, how mundane the event was. For all of that drama and fear, just to watch this man look down at this innocent, pure baby and look like everyone else holding a baby for the first time. Loki smirked, though it was small. "I fully understand how you are so small but so powerful, little one. You can fit in two hands yet you have everyone's complete attention." Jess was surprised, not at the fact of the statement, but the fact that he was admitting it out loud.

Passing the baby over to Bruce, Loki brushed a hand over her forehead. "I will gladly be on whatever side m'lady is on... you have my word, Starks."

Jess didn't bother to correct him with the Starks comment, still enthralled with the absolute takeover that Anya had managed to stage. Babies did things to people. They turned selfish, asshole playboys into loving, loyal fathers. They caused mighty gods to bend a knee to them. Made assassins turn and become aunts and uncles. And they caused someone who had never been loved in their life to believe in it.

Jess was wrong when she said she didn't know how to be a mother. Because she knew she would do anything, and everything, for her. The moment she held her, she knew she was done. It was over. No person or moment could top this feeling of absolute euphoria. She didn't need time to get used to learn to be a mom, she could already feel it in her bones that she was. Looking at Tony, she knew he felt the same way.

"We didn't do too bad for some screw ups with no parents, huh?" Tony teased gently, squeezing her hand as they sat on the hospital bed and watched the men who could easily destroy grown men talk about if it was too cold and the baby needed more blanket.

"So far, so good." Jess leaned her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes, content as her new normal started to seep into her bones.


End file.
